Did you know that your solar panels may be operating at 24% less efficiency than their total capability?
That’s nearly a quarter of your system’s energy output that could go towards powering your home. Yet,
it’s not! no need to despair, however. With the right steps, you can improve solar panel energy production and get all that energy back. Many of these aren’t hard to do!
Place Them Out of the Shade
This one may seem obvious, but it isn’t for everyone. You might also think that it’s okay to keep part of a
solar system in the shade. However, this has more of an impact on solar energy production than you may think. Shade on one photovoltaic cell doesn’t just affect that one, but also the neighboring cells.
Position Them at the Right Angle
How you angle your panels can affect them. The right slope will help them catch the most sunlight and
keep clean. Be sure to calculate this angle before you install your panels.
Clean Them When Necessary
Anything that keeps the sun from reaching your solar panels will decrease their efficiency. This includes
the dust, snow, and other debris that can accumulate on top of them.
Be sure to inspect your panels at regular intervals and clean them when they’re dirty. Hiring professional
cleaners to do the work is also an option.
Keep Them at a Cooler Temperature
High heat can actually decrease the efficiency of your solar system. Be sure to keep your solar panels off
the ground or your roof’s surface to reduce their temperature.
Track Solar Panel Energy Production With an Energy Management System
If you don’t monitor the efficiency of your solar system, you won’t notice if something goes wrong.
Consider hooking your panels up to an energy management software system.
This will help you notice when the total solar power production of your system drops. You can then work
on troubleshooting until you fix the issues with your panels.
Install a Tracking System or Solar Concentrator
You can pair certain devices with your solar energy system to make it more efficient. A tracking system
will move your panels so that they point directly at the sun throughout the day.
Also, solar concentrators use mirrors to focus the sunlight on a certain area. This increases the amount of sunlight your panels take in. Research these devices and others and consider if they will help your system.
Purchase Them Carefully
The efficiency of solar panels varies from model to model. Be sure to check how much energy a panel can produce from the light that it takes in.
Your budget may limit what you can purchase. Yet, you don’t want to purchase an inferior model when
you could’ve bought a better one. This page has some great options to help you start your search.
Spend Money To Save Money
Most of these options don’t require you to spend any money and some do. Remember that you can save
on energy costs with better solar panel energy production. This should be enough reason for you to get
one of these devices.
Are you interested in solar technologies? If so, be sure to check out some of our other solar articles here.
Read also: How to Improve Solar Panel Energy Production
