As technology evolves, solar panels keep improving performance capabilities and build quality. These advancements wouldn’t matter if the efforts didn’t improve solar panel efficiency. It’s important to recognize that solar panel efficiency can significantly affect the impact and practicality of solar energy. To oversimplify a little – the higher a solar panel’s efficiency, the more you’ll get out of your investment to oversimplify a little. Here’s an overview of solar panel efficiency to understand its importance in the solar industry.
What Does Solar Panel Efficiency Mean?
Solar panel efficiency measures a solar panel’s capacity to convert sunlight into usable electricity. Essentially, solar panels with more efficiency produce more energy in a given time than ones with less efficiency. More specifically, the conversion efficiency of a photovoltaic (PV) cell, otherwise known as a solar cell, improves the cost-competitiveness of solar panels. An analogy we like is comparing solar panel efficiency to vehicles and gas mileage performance. A newer car with more advanced technology will provide greater mileage capabilities than an older car with poor fuel efficiency. Given the same sun exposure, a solar panel with better efficiency will produce more power output than a less-efficient solar panel.
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Average Solar Panel Efficiency
Modern solar panels have an average efficiency rating of 15-20%. Highly efficient solar panels can reach up to 22%, but these can be more expensive; most solar panels run at an efficiency level of 20%. But, advancements in manufacturing and technology have allowed engineers to produce panels with record-level efficiency, reaching around 40%. Until those prototypes become more widely available, the average efficiency level is just as proficient for residential and commercial buildings.
Determining Factors Affecting Solar Panel Efficiency
Several determining factors go into solar panel efficiency outside of converting sunlight into electricity. Anything from the materials to the quality of the wiring of the solar panel could affect its efficiency. Other common efficiency variables not based on build quality include outside temperature, light wavelength, and solar panel positioning. Even seemingly insignificant environmental factors, like minimal shading from leaves on a nearby tree, can affect a solar panel’s efficiency.
Measuring Solar Panel Efficiency
To properly predict how much energy a photovoltaic (PV) device can produce, researchers measure its performance; since electricity is powered by a current and voltage, the relationships between the two measure the electrical capabilities of a solar panel. They test its efficiency by exposing the solar panel to a constant light flow while maintaining the cells’ temperature. From there, they measure produced current and voltage for contrasting load resistances.
We hope this information hasn’t overwhelmed you but provided some context for what someone means when they talk about the solar panel efficiency of their system!
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