Most of us would assume that stronger and hotter the sun is the more electricity our solar panels will produce.
Why does temperature affect solar panels.
Climate climate solar radiation and temperature.
As variation of solar radiation is the single most important factor affecting climate it is considered here first.
Many people now put solar pv panels on their roofs to take advantage of the feed in tariff and the export tariff available when you sell power back to the grid.
Why is heat bad for solar panels.
While an increase in heat doesn t affect the amount of solar energy a solar panel receives it does affect how much energy they output.
A roof mount should allow a 7 10cm gap 3 4 inches below the solar panels for air flow in between and all around.
Alternatively pole mounts are also a good way to encourage air flow around the solar panels allowing them to cool on hot days.
The effect of temperature on solar panels.
The temperature refers to the actual material temperature and not the air temperature so on a sunny day it s not that unusual for a solar panel to reach 45 degrees c 113 degrees f.
Home solar panels are tested at 25 c 77 f and thus solar panel temperature will generally range between 15 c and 35 c during which solar cells will produce at maximum efficiency however solar panels can get as hot as 65 c 149 f at which point solar cell efficiency will be hindered.
Air temperatures have their origin in the absorption of radiant energy from the sun.
They are subject to many influences including those of the atmosphere ocean and land and are modified by them.
The open circuit voltage decreases with temperature because of the temperature dependence of i 0.
But that s not the case because one of the key factors affecting the amount of power we get from a solar system is the temperature.
The positive effects of low temperatures on solar panel power production in colder climates can be countered by clouds and snow that decrease solar panel efficiency.
For every 1kwh of electricity produced regardless of whether you use it in the home or sell it back to the grid you get 15 44 pence if you.
One way to reduce solar panel temperature is by choosing the right mount for the panels.
The effect of temperature on solar panel efficiency.
Install factors like how close the panels are installed to.
Solar panels are tested at 25 c 77 f under the standard test condition stc and thus going beyond that temperature affects energy output.
Photovoltaic modules are tested at a temperature of 25 degrees c stc about 77 degrees f and depending on their installed location heat can reduce output efficiency by 10 25.
The effect of snow and clouds.
In a solar cell the parameter most affected by an increase in temperature is the open circuit voltage.
That means a panel rated for 200 watts at 20 degrees c 68 degrees f will only put out 180 watts.
The impact of increasing temperature is shown in the figure below.
