How To Test Efficiency Of Solar Panel

Solar panels have been consistently increasing in efficiency at about 5 annually since 2010.

How to test efficiency of solar panel.

Touch the multi meter s red positive lead to your solar panel s positive wire. Testing solar panels for volts to test solar panel voltage output put your solar panel in direct sunlight set your multi meter to the volts setting and. The highest efficiency solar panels on the market today can reach almost 23 percent efficiency. How much of the sun s energy hitting a panel is eventually converted into electricity is what is measured by efficiency.

Step 3 measure current. Solar panel efficiency is a measure of how much sunlight that hits the surface area of a solar panel is converted into usable electricity. As most solar panels are 12 volts the solar panel test methods are basically the same. Set the meter to above 200 vcd to ensure you get the most accurate reading possible.

What you need to know. Given the same amount of sunlight shining for the same duration of time on two solar panels with different efficiency ratings the more efficient panel will produce more electricity than the less efficient panel. Factors that affect solar panel efficiency. 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.

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 average efficiency of solar panels falls between the 17 to 19 percent efficiency range. As long as the amp meter is rated higher than the solar panel you will be able to measure the output effectively. Then touch the multi meter s black negative lead to your solar panel s negative wire.

Most solar panels have efficiency ratings of around 15 to 18 percent. 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. The efficiency depends on factors such as the intensity of the sunlight the solar cell s temperature and other external factors.