How To Tell If Solar Panels Are Working

A red or orange light during daylight hours means there s a system event or fault.

How to tell if solar panels are working.

A simple health check is to look at the colour of the lights shining on the box during daylight hours when the system s meant to be running. When it s overcast your solar panels will likely operate at 10 to 25 of their rated capacity. This loss of power can also be experienced if a couple of your panels are extra dirty or shaded. Most generation meters will have some sort of indication light that will let you know instantly if your system is not functioning correctly.

The best way to check for signs of life is to measure a solar panel s voltage. Check your generation meter for a red light. Your inverter makes the direct current dc produced by your solar panels useable as alternating current ac for your home. A green light on your inverter means your system is functioning properly.

Hey tuckerdog3 thank you for following up with us battery life can vary based on usage and other factors. In this kind of system if a single panel isn t working the whole string goes down kind of like if you cover half the panel on a solar calculator with your finger the calculator won t work. I typed in one of google s suggested home addresses and the tool told me the. Know your inverter if solar panels are the brawn of your solar energy system then the inverter is the brain.

Set the meter to above 200 vcd to ensure you get the most accurate reading possible. The fact is that solar panels are passive energy gatherers and we can t tell much just looking at or touching them. But don t get stuck on this detail. While solar panels work on cloudy and rainy days their output won t match that on clear sunny days.

Check this during the day when your system should be generating and if it is lit you may have a problem with a part of your solar system. The easiest way to check your home for solar viability is by typing your address into google s project sunroof. What matters is how much sun your home gets year round. You will want to ensure that you place the positive to positive and negative to negative when attaching your multimeter to the connection on the back of your solar panel.

As most solar panels are 12 volts the solar panel test methods are basically the same. The inverter is the first place to check to make sure your solar energy system is working properly. With just a few hours of direct sunlight per day it will keep your stick up cam battery fully charged.