What is a peak sun hour?

One hour of sunlight at the full strength a solar panel is rated for, 1,000 watts per square metre. Peak sun hours add up a whole day's actual sunlight, weak at dawn and dusk and strongest at midday, and express it as the number of full-strength hours it is worth. Multiply a panel's rated watts by peak sun hours, take off system losses, and you have the day's harvest.

What are Sharpvue's solar zones?

Five bands of average daily peak sun hours across the United States, numbered from the sunniest down. Zone 1 is 6.0 or more a day (Arizona, New Mexico). Zone 2 is 5.5 to 6.0 (California, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico). Zone 3 is 5.0 to 5.5 (the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and central plains). Zone 4 is 4.5 to 5.0 (the northern tier and Northeast). Zone 5+ is under 4.5 (Alaska, western Washington, the Idaho panhandle, northwest Montana and northern Michigan). Build a Trailer uses the zone to look up what a given array delivers in the worst month.

How do I know which zone my site is in?

Click your state on the map and the configurator takes that state's dominant zone. Zones cross state lines, so near a boundary, or in one of the Zone 5 pockets inside a Zone 4 state, choose the zone directly from the legend. When in doubt, pick the less sunny of the two.

Can a solar surveillance trailer run in Zone 4 or Zone 5?

Yes, with a winter plan. In the worst month the array delivers a fraction of what it delivers in the Southwest, so the bank drains slowly through the winter and needs topping up. Sharpvue's rule for Zone 4 and 5 is a Sharpvue Generator feeding the bank through the standard generator input, or a scheduled plug-in recharge every 6 to 10 days through the winter. Where there is an outlet, the AC-powered Portable Surveillance Unit is rated for every zone.

Why plan on the worst month instead of the annual average?

A battery bank stores days of energy, not months, so July's surplus does nothing for January. If the array cannot keep up with the load in the darkest month, the bank drains a little every day until the cameras stop, however good the summer was. Sharpvue's sizing table gives the average watts an array delivers around the clock in the worst month for each zone, and Build a Trailer plans on that figure.

Does a bigger solar array fix a northern site?

Less than people expect. A 1,600 W array in Zone 5 delivers about 58 W around the clock in the worst month, barely more than a 1,200 W array in Zone 4. Short days, a low sun angle, cloud and snow limit every panel the same way. The levers that work in the north are a smaller load, heated batteries, correct orientation, and a generator or plug-in recharge to bridge the darkest weeks.

Solar zone map

Peak sun hours by state, for solar surveillance trailers

Click your state. Its solar zone decides what a solar trailer or solar camera unit can carry through the darkest month of the year, and this page shows why.

South CarolinaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 peak sun hours

Use this map to size solar for a surveillance trailer or camera unit anywhere in the United States: find your state's peak sun hours, see what each solar array delivers in the worst month, and check the winter plan before you build. Zones cross state lines, so each state shows its dominant zone and the four Zone 5 pockets are drawn separately. It is the same map and sizing table Build a Trailer plans with.

Peak sun hours by state, as a table

AlabamaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

AlaskaZone 5+ · under 4.5 h

ArizonaZone 1 · 6.0+ h

ArkansasZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

CaliforniaZone 2 · 5.5-6.0 h

ColoradoZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

ConnecticutZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

DelawareZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

District of ColumbiaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

FloridaZone 2 · 5.5-6.0 h

GeorgiaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

HawaiiZone 2 · 5.5-6.0 h

IdahoZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

Idaho panhandleZone 5+ · under 4.5 h

IllinoisZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

IndianaZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

IowaZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

KansasZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

KentuckyZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

LouisianaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

MaineZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

MarylandZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

MassachusettsZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

MichiganZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

MinnesotaZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

MississippiZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

MissouriZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

MontanaZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

NebraskaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

NevadaZone 2 · 5.5-6.0 h

New HampshireZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

New JerseyZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

New MexicoZone 1 · 6.0+ h

New YorkZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

North CarolinaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

North DakotaZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

Northern MichiganZone 5+ · under 4.5 h

Northwest MontanaZone 5+ · under 4.5 h

OhioZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

OklahomaZone 2 · 5.5-6.0 h

OregonZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

PennsylvaniaZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

Puerto RicoZone 2 · 5.5-6.0 h

Rhode IslandZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

South CarolinaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

South DakotaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

TennesseeZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

TexasZone 2 · 5.5-6.0 h

UtahZone 2 · 5.5-6.0 h

VermontZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

VirginiaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

WashingtonZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

West VirginiaZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

Western WashingtonZone 5+ · under 4.5 h

WisconsinZone 4 · 4.5-5.0 h

WyomingZone 3 · 5.0-5.5 h

South Carolina

Zone 3 · 5.0-5.5 peak sun hours

Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and central plains

Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming

Solar alone, sized to the load

The sky: Good sun spring through fall, then a real winter dip: shorter days, lower sun, more cloud. Sharpvue's home zone.
Worst month: Every Sharpvue solar unit is rated here, but winter headroom is thinner than the summer numbers suggest. Plan around December.
Prepare: Camera count and orientation decide the winter. Face the panels south and keep the load list honest.

What each array delivers here, worst month

Average watts around the clock. The tick is the unit's own base load.

MAST106 W
MAST-mini39 W
SPSU38 W
SPSUmicro14 W
MASTvorp50 W

The shaded day and the boxed block hold the same energy. The box is five hours of full sun.

The unit behind the zones

What a peak sun hour is

A panel's wattage is what it makes under full sun, 1,000 watts per square metre. No site gets that all day. A peak sun hour adds up the day's actual light and expresses it as full-sun hours: five peak sun hours is a day whose sunlight, dawn to dusk, was worth five hours of full sun.

The zones group the country by that number. Panel watts × peak sun hours × losses is the day's harvest.

Seasons

Solar trailer sizing: the worst month decides, not the summer

The same 1,180 W MAST array, five zones, two seasons. A battery stores days of energy, not months, so what the array delivers in the darkest month is the number that decides whether the cameras stay up.

Typical year (zone peak-sun hours × 80% yield)Worst month (Sharpvue sizing table)MAST base load 33 W

Show Sharpvue's full sizing table

Sharpvue solar sizing table: average delivered watts around the clock in the worst month, by array size and zone
Array (W)	Zone 1 (W)	Zone 2 (W)	Zone 3 (W)	Zone 4 (W)	Zone 5+ (W)
100	14	13	10	7	4
200	27	25	19	13	7
300	45	35	27	18	10
400	54	50	38	26	14
600	90	70	54	39	20
800	108	100	76	52	28
1,200	180	140	108	72	40
1,600	214	192	148	104	58

Sun hours and system losses are already inside these figures. Sizes between rows are interpolated. The runtime arithmetic is in the runtime guide.

Preparation

Prepare the site for solar

The zone sets the ceiling. Where the trailer is parked and what it carries decide how close to it you get.

Face the panels south

Within 45° either way. East or west takes about four times longer to recharge in winter; north never recovers.

Walk the site for winter shadows

The December sun stays low. Anything on the south side that is harmless in June can shade the panels all afternoon.

Keep the glass clear

Snow, dust and pollen left on the panels can zero a day's harvest. Add a wipe-down to the site walk after a storm.

Mind the cold

Lithium banks will not charge below freezing unless heated. Go into a cold snap with the bank full.

Mind the heat

In the Southwest the array is rarely the problem. Airflow around the enclosure protects panel output and battery life.

Count every watt, around the clock

Base load, each camera, the speaker and any satellite uplink draw 24 hours a day. A Starlink Mini alone is 32.5 W.

Keep a reserve for a bad week

A MAST build targets seven days with no sun and must clear five. The power budget in Build a Trailer shows where yours lands.

Decide the winter plan before shipping

In Zone 4 and 5: a Sharpvue Generator on the build, or a plug-in recharge every 6 to 10 days through the winter.

Choosing

Pick the solar trailer or unit for your zone

Zones 1 to 3

Solar alone, sized to the load

Any Sharpvue solar unit runs here on sun with a sensible camera list. In Zone 3, let the power budget confirm the December margin.

Zone 4

Solar plus a winter plan

The MAST runs on sun from spring to fall and needs a Sharpvue Generator or a scheduled plug-in recharge through the winter.

Zone 5+

Grid, generator or scheduled recharge first

Choose the AC-powered PSU where there is an outlet, or a MAST with the generator, and count the solar harvest as bonus runtime.

MASTSolar, 1,180 W arrayRated Zones 1–3

MAST-miniSolar, 410 W arrayRated Zones 1–3

PSUAC power, battery backupRated All zones

SPSUSolar, 400 W arrayRated Zones 1–3

SPSUmicroSolar, 150 W arrayRated Zones 1–3

MASTvorpSolar, 550 W arrayRated Zones 1–3

BYOTYour trailer's own powerRated All zones

Every MAST platform sees the same sky: Sharpvue iVISION, Alarm.com for Business or OpenEye, and open RTSP and ONVIF streams to any third-party VMS. One program rule: an OpenEye build in Zone 4 or 5 needs the Sharpvue Generator specifically. For a single pole-mounted unit, see the Solar Portable Surveillance Unit.

Frequently asked questions

What is a peak sun hour?: One hour of sunlight at the full strength a solar panel is rated for, 1,000 watts per square metre. Peak sun hours add up a whole day's actual sunlight, weak at dawn and dusk and strongest at midday, and express it as the number of full-strength hours it is worth. Multiply a panel's rated watts by peak sun hours, take off system losses, and you have the day's harvest.
What are Sharpvue's solar zones?: Five bands of average daily peak sun hours across the United States, numbered from the sunniest down. Zone 1 is 6.0 or more a day (Arizona, New Mexico). Zone 2 is 5.5 to 6.0 (California, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico). Zone 3 is 5.0 to 5.5 (the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and central plains). Zone 4 is 4.5 to 5.0 (the northern tier and Northeast). Zone 5+ is under 4.5 (Alaska, western Washington, the Idaho panhandle, northwest Montana and northern Michigan). Build a Trailer uses the zone to look up what a given array delivers in the worst month.
How do I know which zone my site is in?: Click your state on the map and the configurator takes that state's dominant zone. Zones cross state lines, so near a boundary, or in one of the Zone 5 pockets inside a Zone 4 state, choose the zone directly from the legend. When in doubt, pick the less sunny of the two.
Can a solar surveillance trailer run in Zone 4 or Zone 5?: Yes, with a winter plan. In the worst month the array delivers a fraction of what it delivers in the Southwest, so the bank drains slowly through the winter and needs topping up. Sharpvue's rule for Zone 4 and 5 is a Sharpvue Generator feeding the bank through the standard generator input, or a scheduled plug-in recharge every 6 to 10 days through the winter. Where there is an outlet, the AC-powered Portable Surveillance Unit is rated for every zone.
Why plan on the worst month instead of the annual average?: A battery bank stores days of energy, not months, so July's surplus does nothing for January. If the array cannot keep up with the load in the darkest month, the bank drains a little every day until the cameras stop, however good the summer was. Sharpvue's sizing table gives the average watts an array delivers around the clock in the worst month for each zone, and Build a Trailer plans on that figure.
Does a bigger solar array fix a northern site?: Less than people expect. A 1,600 W array in Zone 5 delivers about 58 W around the clock in the worst month, barely more than a 1,200 W array in Zone 4. Short days, a low sun angle, cloud and snow limit every panel the same way. The levers that work in the north are a smaller load, heated batteries, correct orientation, and a generator or plug-in recharge to bridge the darkest weeks.

Pick your state and let the budget do the math

Build a Trailer looks up your zone, applies the worst-month sizing table to the array and the cameras you choose, and shows runtime, recharge and the winter plan before you request a quote.

Build a Trailer See the full specs