The Longest Day of the Year - and the Brightest Opportunity for Solar Power
/The sun is the most abundant energy source on the planet — and it isn’t going away!
The sun produces 173,000 terawatts of solar energy per second, which is 10,000 more than the electricity produced worldwide. With the summer solstice finally here, there’s even more chances to catch some rays.
The June solstice, which typically takes place on June 20, 21, or 22 every year, occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere. On this day, the northern regions experience longer daylight hours, while the southern regions see shorter days. This is due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis and its orbital cycle around the sun.
The farther north of the equator one is, the more sunlight they will see on this day. In our area, the sun is expected to be out for 15 hours and 6 minutes. However, in more north regions like New York City, the daylight can last for more than 16 hours!
While the sunlight and long summer days offer many enjoyable opportunities for all, it also offers benefits when it comes to solar energy. With more sun available for solar panels to soak up, comes more solar energy that can be produced.
By the end of 2023, nearly 7% of global electricity generation was produced by solar PV, a major leap from 3% in 2020. Along with solar panels’ growing use, they are growing in efficiency, with more than 20% of the sunlight that gets absorbed by them being converted to energy in good-functioning, modern panels.
With their increased efficiency and their ability to last for 40+ years, solar power is becoming more and more widespread. Furthermore, their safer environmental impact — as opposed to the burning of fossil fuels — is also driving people to use them.
At SSM, we take solar power seriously! We provide surveying, civil engineering, electrical and structural engineering, and landscape architecture for the installation of solar PV arrays. We prepare site plans and supporting documents needed for land development approval, as well as create single- and three-line drawings required for utility company interconnection applications. Our team performs technical reviews of roof mounted solar PV systems and roof surveys to draft plans for rooftop installations.
Our work is focused around interconnecting the solar PV array design into the existing power distribution systems.
While solar energy offers a more reliable, environmentally friendly, and efficient source of energy, that’s not all they’re good for. There are so many more benefits that solar power has to offer! Here are more reasons to go solar this summer solstice:
Solar slows climate change- With no toxic gases being produced, solar electricity production doesn’t cause a greenhouse effect.
No pollution- With no byproducts being released into the atmosphere, there’s no waste accumulating.
Reduced carbon footprint- Solar energy is clean, efficient, and sustainable, and has no emissions, causing it to leave no footprint behind.
Saves water- Regular electricity production requires lots of water in the production process, but not in solar conversion.
Less energy lost in transmission- Regular electricity is supplied to substations, then the consumer, allowing for energy to be lost in transmission. Solar energy, however, goes directly to the consumer.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Seth Nace, PE | Manager, Eleectrical Engineering | seth.nace@ssmgroup.com