Forum Discussion
ktmrfs
Jun 30, 2017Explorer II
just remember. the output spec's for a solar panel are not a maximum. they are a set of spec's for the output of the panel at a given temperature, air density, and luminous intensity of sunlight and light wavelengths. Once can check output against these spec's.
also the cells degrade over time as they get continued UV and IR exposure. Often the spec's are after a certain number of hours exposure.
And the spec is such that any panel pulled from the production line will meet the spec. They don't want to reject panels. so some or maybe most will exceed the spec to a noticeable degree.
In many cases panel temperature is higher than the test spec, and intensity is lower so output is less than the spec. but in some cases it certainly could be higher. driving down the road on a cool day with airflow will help keep the panel temperature near or below the spec'd temperature, get good sunlight and you could exceed the spec'd output for the test conditions.
and to complicate, many of the spec's I've seen are poorly stated. Imp, Isc should have a greater than or equal sign rather than just a number. Voc and Vmp should have a tolerance on the voltage.
also the cells degrade over time as they get continued UV and IR exposure. Often the spec's are after a certain number of hours exposure.
And the spec is such that any panel pulled from the production line will meet the spec. They don't want to reject panels. so some or maybe most will exceed the spec to a noticeable degree.
In many cases panel temperature is higher than the test spec, and intensity is lower so output is less than the spec. but in some cases it certainly could be higher. driving down the road on a cool day with airflow will help keep the panel temperature near or below the spec'd temperature, get good sunlight and you could exceed the spec'd output for the test conditions.
and to complicate, many of the spec's I've seen are poorly stated. Imp, Isc should have a greater than or equal sign rather than just a number. Voc and Vmp should have a tolerance on the voltage.
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