Tilting Solar Panel
I did a little experiment. I have a new poly 100 watt panel. Before installing I tilted the panel to face directly into the sun. 19.6 volts. I tilted it the same angle, but away from the s...
Forum Discussion
Yup, what they said. The power output of your panels relative to sun angle is measurable ONLY when they are charging a battery (or running gear that will absorb all the energy they put out), and then you must measure both the voltage and the amperage, as the power (expressed in watts) is the product of volts times amps. Merely measuring the voltage, especially on an open circuit, is meaningless.
At 19.6 volts, full output from a 100 watt panel would yield 5.1 amps. When you tilted the panel the opposite direction away from the sun, you measured 18.4 volts. I would expect you to get at best 1 amp and probably much less, for no more than 18 watts for AT LEAST an 80% drop off in power output. But that's just a guess.
At 19.6 volts, full output from a 100 watt panel would yield 5.1 amps. When you tilted the panel the opposite direction away from the sun, you measured 18.4 volts. I would expect you to get at best 1 amp and probably much less, for no more than 18 watts for AT LEAST an 80% drop off in power output. But that's just a guess.
