How many solar panels would be needed to power an 11,000 sq. ft. school?

Question

? report.. that's the only information they gave me.

Answer 1

It depends on the assumptions you make.

- Does the school have to be used when it's dark out?  (If so, you'll need batteries and extra power to charge them.)

- Is all the light electric, or will windows provide light?

- Do you also have to power air conditioning, swimming-pool filters and so forth?

- How much sun is available where this is located?

Just for the lighting, you need to calculate how much time you'll be able to use daylight.  For the time you can't, you need to know how much light is required per square foot (lumens/ft²).  Multiply by square footage, then divide by the lumens/watt for the lights you want to get instantaneous demand in watts.  Multiply by average hours/day to get watt-hours/day (out of the batteries), divide by storage efficiency to get energy needed to go INTO the batteries, divide by your average hours/day of sunlight to get the wattage you need, THEN you divide by the wattage of your solar panels to get the number of panels.

It's not simple.

Answer 2

Let me start off by saying we (my family and I) live completely, 100% “off of the grid and are completely self sufficient”

Solar chimney, solar AC, solar heating, solar water heating (pool and home), solar stove, solar power, wind power, hydrogen powered back up generator, hydrogen back up water heater, hydrogen stove, 2 hydrogen powered trucks, 1 EV (electric vehicle) and satellite internet.

Here’s a DIY step by step process, taken from a guide I offer at www agua-luna com it’s complete but if you’d like the more specific process or the pics and images go to www agua-luna com. Its pretty simple but if you have any problems feel free to contact me directly I can walk you threw the process.

www agua-luna com

"STEP 1. SOLAR PANELS: or PV panels are the key to a hybrid system., converting the sun’s beams into electricity that we can use in the home. They come in many different sizes, shapes, power ranges and costs. We will focus on a 12v 50watt (4amp) panel, measuring appx 4 sq. ft. with a price range from $300-$500.

www.mrsolar.com ($340)

www.agua-luna.com ($299)"

"Retrieve a typical winter electric bill. You won’t need a summer bill, because by building a system that runs in winter, it’ll be proven for summer use where days are longer. Divide the total KWH (Kilowatt Hours) on the bill by 30 (giving you your Kilowatt Hour per day, or KWH/d consumption amount), now divide that by 10 (or the total average winter day hours in your area)(giving you KWH/h), now multiple that by 1000 (converting KWH/h to WH/h or watts)."

"Now that we know how many watts your systems requires, we need to know how many panels to use, along with an adequate- sized controller. For simplicity reasons, let’s use a typical 50w solar panel. We will divide your final “system requirement” results from above by 50 to tell us how many panels you'll need (hourly winter consumption watts / 50)."

"NOTE: Size (watts and feet) of panels is a personal choice and isn’t determined by any system requirements.

Mount panel/s flat (0 degree) facing south (if located in the north hemisphere). With a multimeter, measure the incoming amps (via pos cable to battery), slowly raise the top edge until the amps peak on your meter. Secure."

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at  www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World... Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY... All With Just One Click of A Mouse...For more info Visit:  

www AGUA-LUNA com

Stop Global Warming

Answer 3

idk... you need 2 know how much energy the school uses per day.