At ADT Solar, we pride ourselves on helping our customers power their homes. Every panel we install means more clean, renewable electricity in the world and another customer with their own energy supply on their roof. Becoming part of the solar revolution is something our customers can feel good about.
2021 was a record-breaking year for solar panel deployments across the world. Over 15.5 gigawatts of solar panels were installed last year, and 2022 looks even brighter. The Energy Information Administration announced planned deployments of 21.5 GW of solar in the U.S. in 2022.
15.5 gigawatts of new solar power generation is a lot of clean power. That’s the equivalent of burning 8,757.5 fewer tons of coal to generate electricity. Less burned coal means cleaner air, and that’s something we can all get behind.
Utility-scale solar farms drove much of that growth, but every new solar panel on a residential roof is an important part of reaching a net-zero carbon future.
Residential solar panels are an investment in our future. Along with providing clean, renewable energy and adding value to your home, they also reduce the burden for electricity on the electrical grid. In places like California and Texas, where generating adequate power can sometimes be a challenge, that can make a difference.
Up on Your Roof
We started with one location in 2008 in Mandeville, Louisiana, but focusing on the customer and providing great value has allowed us to grow and spread to more states over the years.
We were already the second-largest residential solar panel installer in the nation, but becoming ADT Solar has allowed us to expand even more. Now, we’re serving 23 states and counting. In just the time since we joined ADT, we have installed over 92,171 kW of panels throughout the country.
With so much great stuff going on, we thought it was time for the next in our occasional series, “What Could our Customers’ Roofs Power?”
….And They’re Off
As Spring turns toward Summer, it’s time for the fancy horse races. Many people think about buying elaborate hats and seersucker suits for iconic events like The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.
But not at ADT Solar. Instead of wondering which horse is going to place, win, or show, we ask ourselves, “how many horse races could all those ADT Solar panels power?” To figure that out, you have to start with a fundamental question: How much horsepower is in a horse? Does that sound like a trick question?
It turns out that the average horse can produce up to 15 horsepower of energy. (Maybe some other barnyard animal like a goat or a sheep is good for only one horsepower, but nobody wants to buy a 450 goatpower car.)
There are 745 watts to each horsepower, so with each of these horses producing 15 horsepower, we can estimate 11,175 watts per horse. In other words, the twenty horses that run the Kentucky Derby take something like 224 kilowatts to cross the finish line.
With all ADT Solar customers since 2008 producing around 313 megawatts, our customers could run 1,397 Kentucky Derbies and still have a little energy to spare. You might even call that a “Rich Strike!”
The Hunt For Next October
If a horse race seems a little old-fashioned, you might consider a more modern form of transportation. How about a nuclear submarine?
You might think a sub is called “nuclear” because it’s carrying nuclear weapons. In reality, they are called “nuclear” because they run on a small reactor that powers the ship’s engines, air filtration, and all the other systems that the sailors need to survive underwater for a long time. Nuclear submarines have an advantage over different types of ships because they can stay underwater for a long time without refueling.
There are many different classes and sizes of nuclear submarines, and the US Navy isn’t eager to share details about its top-secret vessels. A technical director at SMR Nuclear Technology, Tony Irwin, estimates that an average nuclear sub runs on around 150 megawatts of power. That’s a lot of current, but just in the last year, ADT Solar installed around 173 megawatts worth of solar panels–more than enough to power a nuclear submarine.
Anchors aweigh, my boy!
Houston, We Have A Solution
Are your eyes raised to the stars instead of the seas? You might be interested in something more exotic than a nuclear submarine.
What’s more exotic than a boat that can sail underwater for months at a time?
How about the International Space Station?
Unlike a nuclear submarine, the International Space Station has access to a lot of solar energy. Floating at 220 miles above the earth’s surface, the ISS spends half its time with unobstructed access to abundant sunlight.
The space station’s array of solar panels is much different from those we install on residential rooftops. The ISS panels aren’t designed to hold up to rain, snow, wind, or hail like rooftop panels, but they do have to survive hundreds of strikes from meteoroids and other orbital debris.
Even with meteor damage, the 250 square meters of panels produce as much as 120 kilowatts of energy.
At any one time, the station uses somewhere between 75 and 90 kilowatts. The additional current goes to powering batteries. The batteries are vital. The space station orbits the earth every ninety minutes and spends half of its time in the earth’s shadow. During that time, the ISS’s survival depends on the energy it saved.
So how many space stations could ADT Solar panels power?
A lot. The ISS is small and built to be very energy efficient. Since we became ADT Solar in December of 2021, we have installed 92,171.8850 KW worth of solar panels, or enough to power 1024 ISSs.
Although the solar panels on the ISS have the advantage of abundant and very predictable sunlight, the ones that ADT Solar installs on roofs have a pretty big advantage too. The ISS panels run at 14% efficiency, while modern rooftop panels are consistently rated over 20% efficient. That’s about fifty percent more than the ISS. Imagine the wattage you could get with the ISS’s acre of panels at that rate.
That’s No Moon!
It turns out that the solar systems that ADT Solar has installed are pretty powerful. But can they destroy a peaceful, unarmed planet leading the fight against the evil galactic empire? Let’s run the numbers.
We all know that the Death Star is “the ultimate power in the universe!”
So exactly how powerful is it? Rigorous scientific research has determined that the Death Star’s super laser has 2.4×10^32 watts of power. If we install 500-watt panels at the standard size of 5 ½ feet by 3 feet, the Death Star would require 1.2 x 10^30 solar panels to power its weapon.
That would require a rooftop 10^16th times larger than the earth’s surface.
So until ADT Solar decides to build a Dyson Sphere or something like it, rest assured that Alderaan, Dantooine, and the rest of the planets in that galaxy far, far away remain safe.
What Can The Solar Panels on Your Roof Power?
ADT Solar can’t help you if you want to destroy a peaceful planet with superlasers, but we’re here for you if you want to secure a safe, clean energy source for your roof.
If you’re looking for a solar company that cares about its customers, ADT Solar is the way to go. As one of the most trusted brands in America, we’re passionate about bringing the benefits of solar to your home, family and the world for years to come. Read our reviews and find out more
