Eatonville, Washington, located in the Northern Temperate Zone, presents a challenging environment for year-round solar energy generation. The seasonal variation in solar output is quite dramatic at this location, making it less than ideal for consistent solar power production throughout the year.

Seasonal Solar Performance

The solar energy output varies significantly across the seasons in Eatonville. Summer provides the best conditions with 6.78 kWh per day per kW of installed solar capacity, making it an excellent time for solar generation. Spring follows as the second-best season with 5.21 kWh per day per kW, offering good solar production potential. However, the colder months present substantial challenges. Autumn drops to just 2.71 kWh per day per kW, while winter plummets to a mere 1.29 kWh per day per kW. This winter figure represents less than 20% of summer production, highlighting the significant seasonal limitations of this location. For optimal year-round energy capture, fixed solar panels should be tilted at 39 degrees facing south. This angle maximizes total annual production by accounting for the sun's varying position throughout the year and the location's specific latitude.

Environmental and Weather Challenges

Several significant factors can impede solar production in Eatonville, Washington:

• Frequent cloud cover and overcast skies: The Pacific Northwest is notorious for its cloudy weather, particularly during fall and winter months
• Heavy rainfall: While rain can help clean panels, persistent wet conditions reduce solar irradiance
• Snow accumulation: Winter snowfall can completely block solar panels, eliminating energy production
• Dense fog: Morning and seasonal fog can significantly reduce solar energy capture
• Tree coverage: The heavily forested region can create shading issues

Preventative Measures for Better Performance

Several installation strategies can help maximize solar energy production despite these challenging conditions:

• Steeper panel angles: Installing panels at steeper angles helps snow slide off more easily
• Strategic site selection: Choose locations with maximum southern exposure and minimal tree shading
• Regular maintenance: Implement routine cleaning schedules to remove debris, moss, and accumulated dirt
• Snow removal systems: Consider heated panels or easy-access designs for manual snow clearing
• Microinverters or power optimizers: These help minimize the impact when individual panels are partially shaded
• Proper drainage: Ensure water doesn't pool around panel mounting systems

Overall Assessment

Eatonville's solar potential is heavily weighted toward the warmer months, with summer and spring accounting for the majority of annual production. The dramatic drop in winter output, combined with the region's challenging weather patterns, makes this location less than ideal for solar energy generation compared to sunnier climates. However, solar installation can still be viable with proper planning, appropriate technology choices, and realistic expectations about seasonal performance variations. The key is designing systems that account for the significant winter production shortfall while maximizing output during the productive summer and spring months.

Note: The Northern Temperate Zone extends from 35° latitude North up to 66.5° latitude.

So far, we have conducted calculations to evaluate the solar photovoltaic (PV) potential in 4253 locations across the United States. This analysis provides insights into each city/location's potential for harnessing solar energy through PV installations.

Link: Solar PV potential in the United States by location

Solar output per kW of installed solar PV by season in Eatonville

Seasonal solar PV output for Latitude: 46.87, Longitude: -122.2723 (Eatonville, United States), based on our analysis of 8760 hourly intervals of solar and meteorological data (one whole year) retrieved for that set of coordinates/location from NASA POWER (The Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources) API:

 

Ideally tilt fixed solar panels 39° South in Eatonville, United States

To maximize your solar PV system's energy output in Eatonville, United States (Lat/Long 46.87, -122.2723) throughout the year, you should tilt your panels at an angle of 39° South for fixed panel installations.

As the Earth revolves around the Sun each year, the maximum angle of elevation of the Sun varies by +/- 23.45 degrees from its equinox elevation angle for a particular latitude. Finding the exact optimal angle to maximise solar PV production throughout the year can be challenging, but with careful consideration of historical solar energy and meteorological data for a certain location, it can be done precisely.

We use our own calculation, which incorporates NASA solar and meteorological data for the exact Lat/Long coordinates, to determine the ideal tilt angle of a solar panel that will yield maximum annual solar output. We calculate the optimal angle for each day of the year, taking into account its contribution to the yearly total PV potential at that specific location.

Seasonally adjusted solar panel tilt angles for Eatonville, United States

If you can adjust the tilt angle of your solar PV panels, please refer to the seasonal tilt angles below for optimal solar energy production in Eatonville, United States. As mentioned earlier, for fixed-panel solar PV installations, it is optimal to maintain a 39° South tilt angle throughout the year.

Overall Best Summer Angle	Overall Best Autumn Angle	Overall Best Winter Angle	Overall Best Spring Angle
30° South in Summer	49° South in Autumn	61° South in Winter	39° South in Spring

Our recommendations take into account more than just latitude and Earth's position in its elliptical orbit around the Sun. We also incorporate historical solar and meteorological data from NASA's Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) API to assign a weight to each ideal angle for each day based on its historical contribution to overall solar PV potential during a specific season.

This approach allows us to provide much more accurate recommendations than relying solely on latitude, as it considers unique weather conditions in different locations sharing the same latitude worldwide.

Calculate solar panel row spacing in Eatonville, United States

We've added a feature to calculate minimum solar panel row spacing by location. Enter your panel size and orientation below to get the minimum spacing in Eatonville, United States.

Our calculation method

1. Solar Position:
   We determine the Sun's position on the Winter solstice using the location's latitude and solar declination.
2. Shadow Projection:
   We calculate the shadow length cast by panels using trigonometry, considering panel tilt and the Sun's elevation angle.
3. Minimum Spacing:
   We add the shadow length to the horizontal space occupied by tilted panels.

This approach ensures maximum space efficiency while avoiding shading during critical times, as the Winter solstice represents the worst-case scenario for shadow length.

Topography for solar PV around Eatonville, United States

Topographical Features Around Eatonville

Eatonville sits in the Puget Sound lowlands of western Washington, positioned at an elevation of approximately 800 feet above sea level. The town is nestled in a transitional zone where the relatively flat Puget Sound basin begins to give way to the foothills of the Cascade Range to the east and Mount Rainier's volcanic slopes to the southeast. This location creates a gently rolling landscape characterized by modest hills, small valleys, and occasional flat terraces formed by ancient glacial activity.

The immediate terrain around Eatonville features a mix of forested hills and cleared agricultural land, with elevation changes typically ranging from 600 to 1,200 feet across the broader area. Small creeks and streams have carved shallow valleys through the landscape, creating a pattern of ridges and gentle slopes. The Mashel River flows through the region, contributing to the area's undulating topography as it winds toward the Nisqually River to the north.

Climate and Weather Patterns

The Pacific Northwest climate significantly influences solar energy potential in this region. Eatonville experiences a marine west coast climate with wet winters and relatively dry summers. The area receives substantial cloud cover and precipitation during the fall, winter, and spring months, while summer typically brings clearer skies and more favorable conditions for solar energy generation.

Mount Rainier's proximity creates localized weather effects, including orographic lifting that can enhance cloud formation and precipitation on the mountain's windward slopes. However, Eatonville's position in the rain shadow effect means it receives somewhat less precipitation than areas closer to the mountain, though it still experiences the region's characteristic cloudy conditions during much of the year.

Optimal Areas for Large-Scale Solar Development

The most suitable locations for large-scale solar photovoltaic installations around Eatonville would be the cleared agricultural lands and open meadows on south-facing slopes with gentle gradients. These areas offer the best combination of favorable solar exposure, minimal shading from surrounding vegetation, and relatively easy access for construction and maintenance activities.

The rolling hills southeast and southwest of town present particularly promising opportunities, as they provide natural south-facing orientations while maintaining moderate slopes that wouldn't require extensive grading or terracing. Former logging areas that have been cleared but not yet reforested also represent potential sites, especially those on elevated positions that rise above the typical morning fog layer common in Pacific Northwest valleys.

Areas along the broader ridgelines would be preferable to valley locations, as they experience less fog accumulation and benefit from better air circulation. The elevated positions also reduce the likelihood of shading from surrounding forest cover, which is abundant throughout the region. Agricultural fields on these higher elevations, particularly those currently used for hay production or grazing, could be suitable for solar development while potentially allowing for continued agricultural use beneath elevated panel arrays.

Sites with existing road access and proximity to electrical transmission infrastructure would be most practical for development. The relatively gentle topography in much of the area means that large solar arrays could be installed without significant earthwork or the need for complex foundation systems that steeper terrain would require.

United States solar PV Stats as a country

United States ranks 2nd in the world for cumulative solar PV capacity, with 95,209 total MW's of solar PV installed. This means that 3.40% of United States's total energy as a country comes from solar PV (that's 26th in the world). Each year United States is generating 289 Watts from solar PV per capita (United States ranks 15th in the world for solar PV Watts generated per capita). [source]

Are there incentives for businesses to install solar in United States?

Yes, there are several incentives for businesses wanting to install solar energy in the United States. These include federal tax credits, state and local rebates, net metering policies, and renewable energy certificates (RECs). Additionally, many states have enacted legislation that requires utilities to purchase a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources such as solar.

Do you have more up to date information than this on incentives towards solar PV projects in United States? Please reach out to us and help us keep this information current. Thanks!

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Compare this location to others worldwide for solar PV potential

The solar PV analyses available on our website, including this one, are offered as a free service to the global community. Our aim is to provide education and aid informed decision-making regarding solar PV installations.

However, please note that these analyses are general guidance and may not meet specific project requirements. For in-depth, tailored forecasts and analysis crucial for feasibility studies or when pursuing maximum ROI from your solar projects, feel free to contact us; we offer comprehensive consulting services expressly for this purpose.

Helping you assess viability of solar PV for your site

Calculate Your Optimal Solar Panel Tilt Angle: A Comprehensive Guide

Enhance your solar panel's performance with our in-depth guide. Determine the best tilt angle using hard data, debunk common misunderstandings, and gain insight into how your specific location affects solar energy production.