Rutland, Vermont - A Candidate for Solar Energy
Rutland, Vermont is a small city nestled into the hills of the Green Mountains on the western side of the state. Rutland has a rich history beginning around 1770 with the first settlers occupying the area. Rutland became the railroad center of Vermont, as well as a massive marble quarrying industrial town throughout the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Today, Rutland is still home to many businesses and larger companies. However, new times have created a change in the economy and the industrial businesses in the Rutland area (Rutland Historical Society). Most recently, Rutland has been recognized for its innovative renewable energy efforts both locally and statewide. Green Mountain Power, the local power company located in Rutland has been at the forefront of this renewable energy revolution. Solar power is a major potential energy producer in the Rutland area. Barren, unused properties and numerous businesses and homes provide great sites for solar farms and arrays. Green Mountain Power is trying to convert much of Rutland’s electricity sources to solar energy, making it the “Solar Capital of New England.”
What is Solar Power?
So, what is solar power? How does it work? How cost effective is it? Solar power is quite simply, energy obtained from the sun. The energy that the sun provides is unfathomable. It powers everything that we do. After all, without the sun, there would be no Earth. Harnessing the power of the sun to create solar electricity is not a new concept. People have been working with the sun’s energy since the 7th century B.C.E. At this time, magnifying glasses were used to concentrate the sun’s energy to start fires. People also used this method to burn ants. However, solar panels were not developed until 1954, and they have only recently become a mainstream form of creating electricity. Originally, NASA used solar panels to power satellites and space shuttles, but when the energy crisis hit the United States in the 1970’s, solar panels became used in out-of-space applications. Now, the standard homeowner can have solar power in their home.
How Does a Solar Panel Work?
A solar panel is made of semiconductor materials, often silicon. A thin layer or cell of this material is treated so that it has a positive side and a negative side. When light energy makes contact with the cell, they attach to the positive and negative sides, forming an electrical current. This current is electricity. Solar cells are attached to each other within modules, and these modules are wired together to form a solar array or panel. Today, extensive research is occurring regarding new materials and potential efficiency improvements to solar panels. Researchers are trying to find ways to utilize more of the photons that come into contact with the solar panel. Not all photons have the same amount of energy. This means that some photons are not powerful enough to generate electric current, and they are wasted. Using a multijunction device is a new, innovative answer. A multijunction solar panel is a stack of single junction cells that descend in order of their band gap. A band gap is the energy difference where certain spectrums of light can be absorbed. Therefore, some band gaps can absorb high energy, and some can absorb low energy. By creating a panel with different layers of cells with varying band gaps, more of the sun’s energy can be captured and utilized (NASA).
Turning Solar Energy into Electricity
There is more to a solar array than the panels. Solar panels generate DC (direct current) electricity. This electricity must be converted to alternating current (AC) to be used in homes and businesses. An inverter converts the energy from the solar panels to 120 volt AC power that can be fed directly into your home. This inverter is also connected to an electrical meter and an electrical production meter. These two meters monitor how much electricity is being used and how much is being generated. Power companies then take this data and use it to determine a home or business owner’s electrical bill (NW Wind and Solar).
Locations For Solar
Solar panels can be located almost anywhere. Most panels exist in large arrays in open fields or brownfield areas. Solar panels are also found on rooftops, in backyards, on lampposts and signs, and even on some calculators! There is current research occurring to determine more ways to utilize solar panels in other settings. This includes researching new innovations, like solar roads and sidewalks!
Home Solar Arrays
In today’s world, there are two primary types of home solar arrays. These are called grid-tie solar arrays and off-grid solar arrays. Grid-tie solar arrays are connected directly to the electrical grid. This means that any energy the panels create is sent to the grid, making the homeowner an energy producer. This energy is used to power the homeowner’s home, but sometimes, the solar panels generate more electricity than the homeowner needs. This means that the excess electricity can be available for others to use, and the homeowner generates a profit from this excess. Instead of paying for their electricity, they can make money from selling electricity to others. On the other hand, if the home solar system is not generating enough electricity, they are connected to the electrical grid, so they can receive electricity from other sources. This arrangement between a utility company and a homeowner is called net metering (Renewable Energy Vermont, 2014). Off-grid solar arrays are completely independent from the electrical grid. This means that they must always generate enough electricity to power their load. If not, some appliances will not run. As a homeowner with off-grid solar, one must be careful that they conserve their electricity. They may also consider having a series of backup batteries available for times when the solar array cannot sufficiently generate enough electricity.
Solar Companies in Vermont
Vermont is the home of 46 solar companies, and that number keeps growing. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the solar industry grew 35% in Vermont in 2013. 1,300 people are employed through solar companies in Vermont. Although Vermont is one of the smallest states, it ranks 24th in the country for installed solar capacity. In Vermont, 6,700 homes can be powered from solar energy. This industry is rapidly improving, and many people in Vermont are investing in solar energy. 47 million dollars was spent in 2013 on home, business, and utility solar units (Solar Energy Industries Association). Solar energy in Vermont is the fastest increasing form of renewable energy in the state (Renewable Energy Vermont, 2014).
Green Mountain Power: The Force Behind Vermont Solar Power
Green Mountain Power in Rutland, Vermont has developed a solar power project plan for the city and surrounding towns. This plan outlines potential future sites, current accomplishments, and it outlines a goal of producing 10,000kw of electricity from solar resources by 2017. This plan was developed in 2012, and the original goal was to produce 6,250kw of electricity by 2017. However, GMP has since expanded this goal. If GMP achieves the goal, Rutland will generate more solar energy than any other city in the northeast, per capita. Rutland has available brownfield sites, including the old Rutland landfill that can be utilized for solar power. This site is nearly finished, and it will generate 2 megawatts of electricity upon completion. It will also include 4 megawatts of battery storage, and this stored energy will be used to power the Rutland High School in the event of an emergency situation (Vermont Digger, 2014).
Rutland’s Solar Project Plan
The project plan explains that there are many opportunities in the Rutland area for solar energy. Green Mountain Power is utilizing any resources that they can to increase the solar power availability to its customers. Furthermore, they are trying to find ways to help the city of Rutland save money by investing in energy efficient street lamps. Green Mountain Power wants to install combination solar PV and electric vehicle charging stations around the area for people to charge their electric cars. They want to employ local workers and solar installers to boost the Rutland economy. Throughout their goals of making Rutland the solar capital of New England, they also want to revitalize the Rutland Area and improve its opportunities and offerings. They want to cater to their customers to achieve this ambitious goal (Green Mountain Power, 2012).
Our Research Plan
Our project will analyze the data from some of GMP’s Rutland solar sites, beginning with the Renewable Education Center on Route 7 North (just north of the Post Road). We will be analyzing many of the aspects of the productivity of solar power. The variables were provided from GMP’s database. These included day of year (DOY), daily mean temperature (TairC), daily minimum (Tmin) and maximum temperature (Tmax), daily mean temperature of the solar panels (TpanelC), daily mean wind speed (windspeedm_s), daily maximum wind speed (maxwindm_s), solar energy flux on the horizontal earth surface (horizirradW_m^2), solar energy flux on the panel surface (POAIrradW_m^2), mean power generated by all panels (PowerkW), and clear sky solar energy flux (the energy flux on the horizontal earth surface on a clear day (ClearSkyIrradW_m^2)).
Daily mean temperature refers to the average temperature recorded each day at the site of the solar panels. Daily maximum and minimum temperature is also recorded, which measures the largest and smallest temperature recorded each day. The daily mean temperature of the solar panels represents the average temperature of the panel itself, excluding the air around it. The daily mean wind speed refers to the average wind speed on the given day. Daily maximum wind speed is also provided, representing the largest wind speed on that day. Solar energy flux on the horizontal earth surface represented the amount of light which would be collected if the panels were perfectly horizontal. This is a harder concept to understand, but it simply means light that would hit a flat surface. We were also given solar energy flux on the panel surface. This represents the amount of light that hits the panel surface, which is not always a horizontal surface. Mean power generated by the panels is the average power that the array produced on that day. Lastly, the clear sky solar energy flux represents the light that hits the horizontal surface of the earth on a given day when there are no clouds present.
From this data that we were given, we can use equations and mathematics to determine other information. Firstly, we found the change in temperature (delT) by subtracting the temperature of the panel from that of the air. This gave us the difference in temperature between the air and the panel. Next, we found the effective cloud transmissivity (ECT). This was found by dividing the horizontal solar flux by the clear sky solar energy flux. It basically represents the amount of sunlight that can pass through the clouds and make contact with the panels. We were also able to find the daily temperature range (DTR). This was found by subtracting the maximum temperature from the minimum. It allows us to see the range in temperature and how it has changed throughout the day.
The first graphical comparison illustrates the relationship between POA Solar Irradiance and the Power generated from the panel (in kilowatts). The graph showed a strong positive correlation between the amount of POA solar irradiance on a given day and the amount of power generated. The r2 value (representation of how well the line of best fit represented the data) showed a value of .972, meaning there was an extremely strong linear correlation between the two variables. This means that as the solar irradiance increases, the power generated by the panel also increases, although correlation does not imply causation. The graph showed a near straight line extending from the bottom left corner of the graph to the top right corner. We can assume that POA solar flux will vary based on the time of year. In other words in the summer there is a more direct beam of sunlight hitting the solar panel than in the winter due to the tilt of the earth on its axis. Because of this, the power generated in the winter will be less than that generated in the summer. The conclusion we can draw from this graph, which requires experimental testing to confirm, is that as we increase direct sunlight, we improve power output.
The second graph shows the change in air temperature as related to the POA Solar Irradiance. This graph showed a much larger spread than the first one, creating almost a triangular shape that has a high concentration in the lower left corner, and a lower concentration in the upper right corner. This graph represents the difference between air and panel temperature in relation to the solar flux on the panel. It illustrates how much the solar flux affects the temperature of the panel, because we are able to determine how hot the panel is in relation to the air. If the difference is high, we can assume that the panel temperature is hot because of the sunlight shining directly on the panel. This leads us to question the large spread in the graph. We can answer this question by inferring that there are many factors that could affect the difference in temperature. Solar flux is one of the factors that might make the panel hotter than the air. Other factors may also affect the temperature, including precipitation or interruption of sunlight.
The third graph displays the solar flux and the solar flux when there are absolutely no clouds in the sky on each day of the year. This graph creates a bell shaped curve with the cloudless energy, and a far more scattered dot structure for the recorded value. This is significant because it shows us the way clouds affect the efficiency of the panels. We now know that solar flux can vary greatly due to cloud cover, and although it changes with the season, the solar flux also changes with the day-to-day weather. This is significant because we can recognize the incredible effect that the clouds have on solar activity. It shows that there is relatively equal distribution of cloudy days throughout a year, with only slightly fewer in the summer and more in the winter. In other words, there will be more sun on the panels in the summer and slightly less in the winter all due to cloud cover.
The fourth graph shows the Effective Cloud Transmissivity on each day of the year, as compared to no clouds. This means that it shows the amount of light that shines through the clouds as compared to the light when there is no cloud cover at all. The way this works is with the use of a percentage. The red line represents 1, the amount of light with no clouds, or 100 percent. Each dot represents the actual measured value in the form of a decimal. If it were a perfectly clear day, the measured value would be one. If the clouds had a density where only one fourth of the light could pass through, the value would be .25. This is an important graph to us because it shows us how light passes through clouds and how that might affect the solar flux on the panel and its resulting energy output. It also gives us the valuable information showing that with the changing seasons, the clouds do not become more or less light repelling, due to the random scatter of the measured values.
The last graph shows us the DTR as affected by the ECT. This means it shows us the temperature range for each day (maximum - minimum) given each day’s Effective Cloud Transmissivity. This is important because it can be used to determine how much the sunlight affects the temperature of the day, and the range in temperatures. The graph shows us a positive association, but it shows little shape and is hardly linear. This tells us a number of things. For one, we know that when there is more light penetrating the clouds, there is a greater average temperature range. We also know that this is not a guarantee due to other factors that may be affecting temperature such as wind and rain. This affects our solar intake because if a temperature range is greater, we can assume the ECT is higher and thus the solar flux on the panels and the power intake is higher. We can thus use the temperature range of an average day to create an estimate for the power intake of that day.
To conclude our research, we confirmed many suspicions about solar energy. Solar power is generated in direct relation to the solar flux on the panel. This affects other variables too, such as temperature of the panel, or temperature in a day. Solar productivity can also be affected by many other factors, including cloud cover, while other times the season can affect the sunlight and resulting productivity. Finally, wind can affect the heat of the panels and the resulting solar energy output. The key thing to realize is that direct sunlight is the answer to high outputs of solar energy.
Rutland, Vermont is a small city nestled into the hills of the Green Mountains on the western side of the state. Rutland has a rich history beginning around 1770 with the first settlers occupying the area. Rutland became the railroad center of Vermont, as well as a massive marble quarrying industrial town throughout the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Today, Rutland is still home to many businesses and larger companies. However, new times have created a change in the economy and the industrial businesses in the Rutland area (Rutland Historical Society). Most recently, Rutland has been recognized for its innovative renewable energy efforts both locally and statewide. Green Mountain Power, the local power company located in Rutland has been at the forefront of this renewable energy revolution. Solar power is a major potential energy producer in the Rutland area. Barren, unused properties and numerous businesses and homes provide great sites for solar farms and arrays. Green Mountain Power is trying to convert much of Rutland’s electricity sources to solar energy, making it the “Solar Capital of New England.”
What is Solar Power?
So, what is solar power? How does it work? How cost effective is it? Solar power is quite simply, energy obtained from the sun. The energy that the sun provides is unfathomable. It powers everything that we do. After all, without the sun, there would be no Earth. Harnessing the power of the sun to create solar electricity is not a new concept. People have been working with the sun’s energy since the 7th century B.C.E. At this time, magnifying glasses were used to concentrate the sun’s energy to start fires. People also used this method to burn ants. However, solar panels were not developed until 1954, and they have only recently become a mainstream form of creating electricity. Originally, NASA used solar panels to power satellites and space shuttles, but when the energy crisis hit the United States in the 1970’s, solar panels became used in out-of-space applications. Now, the standard homeowner can have solar power in their home.
How Does a Solar Panel Work?
A solar panel is made of semiconductor materials, often silicon. A thin layer or cell of this material is treated so that it has a positive side and a negative side. When light energy makes contact with the cell, they attach to the positive and negative sides, forming an electrical current. This current is electricity. Solar cells are attached to each other within modules, and these modules are wired together to form a solar array or panel. Today, extensive research is occurring regarding new materials and potential efficiency improvements to solar panels. Researchers are trying to find ways to utilize more of the photons that come into contact with the solar panel. Not all photons have the same amount of energy. This means that some photons are not powerful enough to generate electric current, and they are wasted. Using a multijunction device is a new, innovative answer. A multijunction solar panel is a stack of single junction cells that descend in order of their band gap. A band gap is the energy difference where certain spectrums of light can be absorbed. Therefore, some band gaps can absorb high energy, and some can absorb low energy. By creating a panel with different layers of cells with varying band gaps, more of the sun’s energy can be captured and utilized (NASA).
Turning Solar Energy into Electricity
There is more to a solar array than the panels. Solar panels generate DC (direct current) electricity. This electricity must be converted to alternating current (AC) to be used in homes and businesses. An inverter converts the energy from the solar panels to 120 volt AC power that can be fed directly into your home. This inverter is also connected to an electrical meter and an electrical production meter. These two meters monitor how much electricity is being used and how much is being generated. Power companies then take this data and use it to determine a home or business owner’s electrical bill (NW Wind and Solar).
Locations For Solar
Solar panels can be located almost anywhere. Most panels exist in large arrays in open fields or brownfield areas. Solar panels are also found on rooftops, in backyards, on lampposts and signs, and even on some calculators! There is current research occurring to determine more ways to utilize solar panels in other settings. This includes researching new innovations, like solar roads and sidewalks!
Home Solar Arrays
In today’s world, there are two primary types of home solar arrays. These are called grid-tie solar arrays and off-grid solar arrays. Grid-tie solar arrays are connected directly to the electrical grid. This means that any energy the panels create is sent to the grid, making the homeowner an energy producer. This energy is used to power the homeowner’s home, but sometimes, the solar panels generate more electricity than the homeowner needs. This means that the excess electricity can be available for others to use, and the homeowner generates a profit from this excess. Instead of paying for their electricity, they can make money from selling electricity to others. On the other hand, if the home solar system is not generating enough electricity, they are connected to the electrical grid, so they can receive electricity from other sources. This arrangement between a utility company and a homeowner is called net metering (Renewable Energy Vermont, 2014). Off-grid solar arrays are completely independent from the electrical grid. This means that they must always generate enough electricity to power their load. If not, some appliances will not run. As a homeowner with off-grid solar, one must be careful that they conserve their electricity. They may also consider having a series of backup batteries available for times when the solar array cannot sufficiently generate enough electricity.
Solar Companies in Vermont
Vermont is the home of 46 solar companies, and that number keeps growing. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the solar industry grew 35% in Vermont in 2013. 1,300 people are employed through solar companies in Vermont. Although Vermont is one of the smallest states, it ranks 24th in the country for installed solar capacity. In Vermont, 6,700 homes can be powered from solar energy. This industry is rapidly improving, and many people in Vermont are investing in solar energy. 47 million dollars was spent in 2013 on home, business, and utility solar units (Solar Energy Industries Association). Solar energy in Vermont is the fastest increasing form of renewable energy in the state (Renewable Energy Vermont, 2014).
Green Mountain Power: The Force Behind Vermont Solar Power
Green Mountain Power in Rutland, Vermont has developed a solar power project plan for the city and surrounding towns. This plan outlines potential future sites, current accomplishments, and it outlines a goal of producing 10,000kw of electricity from solar resources by 2017. This plan was developed in 2012, and the original goal was to produce 6,250kw of electricity by 2017. However, GMP has since expanded this goal. If GMP achieves the goal, Rutland will generate more solar energy than any other city in the northeast, per capita. Rutland has available brownfield sites, including the old Rutland landfill that can be utilized for solar power. This site is nearly finished, and it will generate 2 megawatts of electricity upon completion. It will also include 4 megawatts of battery storage, and this stored energy will be used to power the Rutland High School in the event of an emergency situation (Vermont Digger, 2014).
Rutland’s Solar Project Plan
The project plan explains that there are many opportunities in the Rutland area for solar energy. Green Mountain Power is utilizing any resources that they can to increase the solar power availability to its customers. Furthermore, they are trying to find ways to help the city of Rutland save money by investing in energy efficient street lamps. Green Mountain Power wants to install combination solar PV and electric vehicle charging stations around the area for people to charge their electric cars. They want to employ local workers and solar installers to boost the Rutland economy. Throughout their goals of making Rutland the solar capital of New England, they also want to revitalize the Rutland Area and improve its opportunities and offerings. They want to cater to their customers to achieve this ambitious goal (Green Mountain Power, 2012).
Our Research Plan
Our project will analyze the data from some of GMP’s Rutland solar sites, beginning with the Renewable Education Center on Route 7 North (just north of the Post Road). We will be analyzing many of the aspects of the productivity of solar power. The variables were provided from GMP’s database. These included day of year (DOY), daily mean temperature (TairC), daily minimum (Tmin) and maximum temperature (Tmax), daily mean temperature of the solar panels (TpanelC), daily mean wind speed (windspeedm_s), daily maximum wind speed (maxwindm_s), solar energy flux on the horizontal earth surface (horizirradW_m^2), solar energy flux on the panel surface (POAIrradW_m^2), mean power generated by all panels (PowerkW), and clear sky solar energy flux (the energy flux on the horizontal earth surface on a clear day (ClearSkyIrradW_m^2)).
Daily mean temperature refers to the average temperature recorded each day at the site of the solar panels. Daily maximum and minimum temperature is also recorded, which measures the largest and smallest temperature recorded each day. The daily mean temperature of the solar panels represents the average temperature of the panel itself, excluding the air around it. The daily mean wind speed refers to the average wind speed on the given day. Daily maximum wind speed is also provided, representing the largest wind speed on that day. Solar energy flux on the horizontal earth surface represented the amount of light which would be collected if the panels were perfectly horizontal. This is a harder concept to understand, but it simply means light that would hit a flat surface. We were also given solar energy flux on the panel surface. This represents the amount of light that hits the panel surface, which is not always a horizontal surface. Mean power generated by the panels is the average power that the array produced on that day. Lastly, the clear sky solar energy flux represents the light that hits the horizontal surface of the earth on a given day when there are no clouds present.
From this data that we were given, we can use equations and mathematics to determine other information. Firstly, we found the change in temperature (delT) by subtracting the temperature of the panel from that of the air. This gave us the difference in temperature between the air and the panel. Next, we found the effective cloud transmissivity (ECT). This was found by dividing the horizontal solar flux by the clear sky solar energy flux. It basically represents the amount of sunlight that can pass through the clouds and make contact with the panels. We were also able to find the daily temperature range (DTR). This was found by subtracting the maximum temperature from the minimum. It allows us to see the range in temperature and how it has changed throughout the day.
The first graphical comparison illustrates the relationship between POA Solar Irradiance and the Power generated from the panel (in kilowatts). The graph showed a strong positive correlation between the amount of POA solar irradiance on a given day and the amount of power generated. The r2 value (representation of how well the line of best fit represented the data) showed a value of .972, meaning there was an extremely strong linear correlation between the two variables. This means that as the solar irradiance increases, the power generated by the panel also increases, although correlation does not imply causation. The graph showed a near straight line extending from the bottom left corner of the graph to the top right corner. We can assume that POA solar flux will vary based on the time of year. In other words in the summer there is a more direct beam of sunlight hitting the solar panel than in the winter due to the tilt of the earth on its axis. Because of this, the power generated in the winter will be less than that generated in the summer. The conclusion we can draw from this graph, which requires experimental testing to confirm, is that as we increase direct sunlight, we improve power output.
The second graph shows the change in air temperature as related to the POA Solar Irradiance. This graph showed a much larger spread than the first one, creating almost a triangular shape that has a high concentration in the lower left corner, and a lower concentration in the upper right corner. This graph represents the difference between air and panel temperature in relation to the solar flux on the panel. It illustrates how much the solar flux affects the temperature of the panel, because we are able to determine how hot the panel is in relation to the air. If the difference is high, we can assume that the panel temperature is hot because of the sunlight shining directly on the panel. This leads us to question the large spread in the graph. We can answer this question by inferring that there are many factors that could affect the difference in temperature. Solar flux is one of the factors that might make the panel hotter than the air. Other factors may also affect the temperature, including precipitation or interruption of sunlight.
The third graph displays the solar flux and the solar flux when there are absolutely no clouds in the sky on each day of the year. This graph creates a bell shaped curve with the cloudless energy, and a far more scattered dot structure for the recorded value. This is significant because it shows us the way clouds affect the efficiency of the panels. We now know that solar flux can vary greatly due to cloud cover, and although it changes with the season, the solar flux also changes with the day-to-day weather. This is significant because we can recognize the incredible effect that the clouds have on solar activity. It shows that there is relatively equal distribution of cloudy days throughout a year, with only slightly fewer in the summer and more in the winter. In other words, there will be more sun on the panels in the summer and slightly less in the winter all due to cloud cover.
The fourth graph shows the Effective Cloud Transmissivity on each day of the year, as compared to no clouds. This means that it shows the amount of light that shines through the clouds as compared to the light when there is no cloud cover at all. The way this works is with the use of a percentage. The red line represents 1, the amount of light with no clouds, or 100 percent. Each dot represents the actual measured value in the form of a decimal. If it were a perfectly clear day, the measured value would be one. If the clouds had a density where only one fourth of the light could pass through, the value would be .25. This is an important graph to us because it shows us how light passes through clouds and how that might affect the solar flux on the panel and its resulting energy output. It also gives us the valuable information showing that with the changing seasons, the clouds do not become more or less light repelling, due to the random scatter of the measured values.
The last graph shows us the DTR as affected by the ECT. This means it shows us the temperature range for each day (maximum - minimum) given each day’s Effective Cloud Transmissivity. This is important because it can be used to determine how much the sunlight affects the temperature of the day, and the range in temperatures. The graph shows us a positive association, but it shows little shape and is hardly linear. This tells us a number of things. For one, we know that when there is more light penetrating the clouds, there is a greater average temperature range. We also know that this is not a guarantee due to other factors that may be affecting temperature such as wind and rain. This affects our solar intake because if a temperature range is greater, we can assume the ECT is higher and thus the solar flux on the panels and the power intake is higher. We can thus use the temperature range of an average day to create an estimate for the power intake of that day.
To conclude our research, we confirmed many suspicions about solar energy. Solar power is generated in direct relation to the solar flux on the panel. This affects other variables too, such as temperature of the panel, or temperature in a day. Solar productivity can also be affected by many other factors, including cloud cover, while other times the season can affect the sunlight and resulting productivity. Finally, wind can affect the heat of the panels and the resulting solar energy output. The key thing to realize is that direct sunlight is the answer to high outputs of solar energy.