20 Watt Solar Panel
if Solar Cells were 100% efficient?
If solar cells were 100% efficient they would generate about 1000 watts of power per square meter of surface area when exposed to direct sunlight. Suppose a 1-square-meter panel of solar cells has an efficiency of 20% and receives the equivalent of 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Suppose you want to supply 1 kilowatt of power to a house (the average household power requirement) by putting Solar Panels on its roof. How many square meters of solar panels would you need? Assume that you can make use of the average power from the solar cells (by, for example, storing the energy in batteries until it is needed).
Let’s jump in.
M square meters * (1000 watts/square meter if efficient) * 20% * 6/24 of the day = 1 kilowatt * (1000 watts/kilowatt)
That’s a lot like M * 1/5 * 1/4 = 1.
I’d say M is 20. 