Solar Production by Hour Calculator
See your solar system's 24-hour production curve for any city, month, and panel orientation — compared to your home's typical load profile.
How to Use This Calculator
Select location and month
Choose your nearest city from 15 locations and select the month you want to analyze. The calculator adjusts day length, sun angle, and peak sun hours for both location and season — a June day in Phoenix looks very different from a December day in Seattle.
Enter system size and orientation
Enter your system size in kW, select panel orientation (south maximizes total production; east and west shift production to morning and evening respectively), and choose panel tilt. The tilt effect is most significant for south-facing arrays — the optimal tilt for most US homes is approximately equal to your latitude.
Read the hourly chart
The 24-hour bar chart shows solar production (teal bars) vs. typical home load (amber area) by hour. Hours where teal exceeds amber represent solar surplus that goes to the grid or battery. Hours after sunset show the evening load that solar cannot cover — this is where net metering credits or battery storage provide value.
Use orientation to understand self-consumption
East-facing panels produce most power from 6am–noon, aligning with morning routines. West-facing panels produce most power from noon–7pm, aligning with evening peaks (cooking, TV, AC). This is why some installers recommend splitting panels between east and west to flatten the production curve and improve self-consumption.
Solar Production by Orientation: Key Patterns
| Orientation | Peak Hours | vs South Output | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| South | 10am–2pm | 100% (baseline) | Maximum annual production, most US homes |
| East | 7am–noon | 85–90% | Morning-heavy households, low TOU morning rates |
| West | Noon–6pm | 85–90% | Evening peak matching, high TOU afternoon rates |
| East+West split | 7am–6pm | 90–95% | Flat production curve, high self-consumption |
| Flat (0°–10°) | 9am–3pm | 88–93% | Flat roofs, minimal wind load concerns |
The Solar-Load Mismatch Problem
Solar produces most power between 10am and 2pm — exactly when most homes are empty and energy use is lowest. Evening consumption peaks between 5pm and 8pm — after the sun has set. This mismatch is the fundamental reason solar + battery combinations are becoming increasingly popular.
Under full retail NEM, this mismatch doesn't hurt you — exported kWh credit at the same rate you pay to import. Under NEM 3.0 or avoided-cost NEM, a battery capturing peak noon production and releasing it at 6pm can save $800–$2,000/year by replacing expensive imported evening electricity.