Solar Panel Efficiency Per Angle Of Light

Factors that affect solar panel efficiency.

Solar panel efficiency per angle of light.

The tilt angle has the biggest effect on the efficiency of the solar panel. In the 1880s photovoltaic cells had an efficiency of 1 to 2. A common method used to express economic costs is to calculate a price per delivered kilowatt hour kwh. In order to collect energy more efficiently solar panels should be angled to face as close to the sun as possible.

Solar panels have been consistently increasing in efficiency at about 5 annually since 2010. For instance if your latitude is 34 the optimum tilt angle for your solar panels during winter will be 34 15 49. That is why many solar angles are used in pv power calculations and solar tracking systems improve the efficiency of pv panels by following the sun through the sky. These angles will give you the best overall output over the course of the year if you re going for a fixed installation.

For los angeles a solar panel tilt of 19 degrees works the best. The solar radiation that the panels receive is almost the same. However if the panels are turned at an angle greater than 45 compared to true south production begins to decrease significantly. A solar panel is made up of many individual photovoltaic cells that convert light to energy.

Photovoltaics produce power when the angle at which the sun s rays hit the panel surface the angle of incidence is small or when light strikes the panel as close to perpendicular as possible. In winter a panel fixed at the winter angle will be relatively efficient capturing 81 to 88 percent of the energy compared to optimum tracking. For instance in the san francisco bay area the best solar panel tilt angle is between 22 23 degrees. At 90 from true south therefore east and west production can drop to 30.

The optimum tilt angle is calculated by adding 15 degrees to your latitude during winter and subtracting 15 degrees from your latitude during summer. A solar panel installation company contacted hanna instruments about measuring light intensity. A typical concentrator system may use a light intensity 6 400 times the sun and increase the efficiency of a one sun gaas cell from 31 at am 1 5 to 35. The highest efficiency solar panels on the market today can reach almost 23 percent efficiency.

The angle of the sun in relationship to the angle of the solar panel determines the maximum power density. When the angle of the sun is perpendicular to the solar panel it provides the maximum energy output. Today photovoltaic cells can reach an efficiency of 40.