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2oldman's avatar
2oldman
Explorer II
May 14, 2018

Shade effect on series panels.

Pictured below is the shading on 2 of 6 series-connected panels:


And this is what the controller says:



So, 57.2 x 5.6 = 320w (IN)

Normal (full sun) should be about 84 x 7.5 = 630w, so it looks like I'm losing about 50% on the input side.

I'll report back when panels are in full sun to verify the normal input and output.

91 Replies

  • Full sun now (sun angle is little changed):

    A little hard to see, but input is 84.8 x 6.6= 560w. Looks like I estimated high on the full input.




    Output is 53.4 x 10.3= 550 OUT. Not bad efficiency for 560w IN.

    Output shaded = 53 x 6 = 318
    Output not shaded = 53.4 x 10.3 =550

    (550 -318)/550= 42% loss, with 2 panels in partial shade.