Solar Energy Resource
Energy from the sun can be used to heat homes through passive solar design, solar hot water systems, and solar space heating and can also be used for electrical generation. It is a renewable energy source that does not contribute to greenhouse gases. Compared to fossil fuel-generated electricity, each kilowatt-hour of solar photovoltaic electricity annually offsets up to 16 kilograms of nitrogen oxides, 9 kilograms of sulfur dioxides, and 2,300 kilograms of carbon dioxides (CO2) (www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/co2_report/co2report.html).
Colorado enjoys an average of 300 or more days of sunshine a year. Copious sunshine, low relative humidity and our high elevation makes solar energy a viable renewable energy option for heating our homes, providing domestic hot water, and electrical generation.
Photovoltaic solar panels convert solar radiation (termed “insolation”) into Direct Current (DC) electricity. When referring to electrical generation, insolation is described at watts per square meter. On a clear day, the total insolation is about 1,000 watts per square meter. Solar hot water applications utilize solar radiation data and site analysis information as well.
Colorado’s latitude ranges from 37 degrees along the New Mexico border to 41 degrees along the Wyoming border. Knowing your latitude will allow you to obtain a sun pathway chart, showing the annual path the sun travels each month of the calendar year at your location. The University of Oregon Sun Radiation Monitoring Laboratory has downloadable sun charts available on their website. Their website is searchable by zip code or by GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude). Knowing how the suns path changes throughout the calendar year can help you determine any potential shading obstacles your solar system may face.
For more information, see:
- Harvesting Energy From the Sun – CSU Extension
- Introduction to Domestic Solar Hot Water Systems – CSU Extension
Updated Thursday, May 17, 2012