How To Test Solar Panel Efficiency

In practical terms for two solar panels of the same physical size if one has a 21 efficiency rating and the other has a 14 efficiency rating the 21 efficient panel will produce 50 more kilowatt hours kwh of electricity under the same conditions as the 14 efficient panel.

How to test solar panel efficiency.

Locate the converter box. Touch the multi meter s red positive lead to your solar panel s positive wire. Solar panel efficiency is determined by the production of electricity by solar cells which are in turn influenced by composition electrical configuration surrounding components and more. If it s not there is a problem with your solar panel output.

Measure the length and width of the photovoltaic cell do not include the base and calculate the area using the. Attach the meter to the positive and negative terminals on the solar panel and make sure the panel is properly exposed to sunlight. To calculate the efficiency of your panel just multiply the amount of sunlight that hits the earth s surface in your area known as the incident radiation flux by the area of your panel measured in square meters. The highest efficiency solar panels on the market today can reach almost 23 percent efficiency.

If a solar panel has 20 percent efficiency that means it s capable of converting 20 percent of the sunshine hitting it into electricity. As long as the amp meter is rated higher than the solar panel you will be able to measure the output effectively. To test solar panel amperage output put your solar panel in direct sunlight set your multi meter to the dc amps setting. To ensure that you don t blow your device s fuse set the maximum amperage sensitivity to well above your expected reading.

Measuring efficiency is fairly simple. Most solar panels have efficiency ratings of around 15 to 18 percent. Then touch the multi meter s black negative lead to your solar panel s negative wire. Photovoltaic cell electric motor with fan wires cardboard sheet multimeter.

The converter box is located on the back of the solar panel. Step 3 measure current. So if a solar panel has an efficiency rating of 15 that means 15 of the sunlight that hits the solar panels will be converted into electricity. Using a multimeter for solar panel tests step 1.

Note positive negative connections. The volt reading on your multi meter should be close to or just under 60 volts. Solar panel efficiency is a measure of how much sunlight that hits the surface area of a solar panel is converted into usable electricity.