Energy comes in all different forms. Whether it be electrical, mechanical, chemical, thermal or nuclear, energy plays an important part of each day. Once solar panels have been installed, how exactly can you measure the energy that is being produced? This blog post will walk you through all things energy, so you know just how well your panels are working!

Reusable Energy

Did you know that more energy falls on the earth from the sun-- in one hour-- than the world uses in one year? Solar panels are a great way to create energy without drawing upon harmful resources like fuel, coal, oil or gas. With the help of the solar industry, the world is able to make use of the most abundant and renewable energy source that is available to us: the sun!

Energy Measurements

To put it simply, energy is the capacity to do work. Throughout the years, scientists discovered and studied these types of energy. With each new discovery, new and complicated terminology was created to describe each system of measurement. However, in 1960 the International System of Units (SI) was derived from the metric system to provide a standard vocabulary for all things physical.

Solar panels create electricity which helps you power your home. They convert the sun's energy into an electrical current. We measure this electricity in watts. One thousand watts makes up a kilowatt. Using 1,000 watts of electricity within 1 hour is a kilowatt-hour (kWh). This measurement is probably familiar to you, as this measurement is found on your electricity bill. For solar panels, the measurement of kWh refers to the amount of energy produced by the panel.

1,000 watts x 1 hour = 1 kilowatt-hour

Solar Meters

When your solar panels are installed, a meter is placed which measures the kilowatt-hour (kWh) production of your photovoltaic system. These meters are monitoring and analyzing the performance of your panels. The meter will move forward when it is drawing electricity and backward when your system is producing enough energy to power your home and also provide energy to the grid! This is one way that you can monitor the production of your panels.

Sunrise by ION Solar

Our app is another great way to track your system's production and see how much energy your panels are producing. Under the System Production tab, you can see a graph of your overall production. By regularly checking your Sunrise app, you can be sure to make the most of your solar panels! Don't have the app? Download by clicking here for apple users and here for android users!

Tracking your panel production is a fun way to watch the energy you produce be put to use!

Sources:

https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2015/11/what-are-solar-meters/ https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/energy-and-power-units-the-basics-8#gs.7QIxHag