Cloud Cover Solar Panel Efficiency

Eventually with heavy cloud cover solar panels will produce very little useful power.

Cloud cover solar panel efficiency.

For that same reason solar panels can still produce electricity on cloudy days. According to the data collected as cloud cover increases the power production efficiency decreases for all types of solar panel mounting. The clouds impacts are more pronounced in august and july. Solar power production efficiency.

Thicker cloud cover will reduce operations further. The amount of direct sunlight is reduced by fog and clouds but solar panels function better at cooler temperatures so the electricity output in san francisco is still significant. If there is sufficient light to cast a shadow in spite of the clouds your solar panels need to operate at about half of their complete capacity. An additional valuable source of solar radiation data is the determination of solar radiation from satellite images.

Fortunately sunpower solar panels with a record breaking efficiency of more than 22 percent highest efficiency panels commercially available 1 use cells with a unique one of a kind design that capture a broader range of the sun s light. Indeed on 7th of august 2015 the maximum power was completely below 25 of the rated power 25 w. During those peak sunlight hours your solar panels will produce power at their maximum capacity. How the edge of cloud effect can produce more solar power than a sunny day.

Information in relation to cloud cover levels is used to provide estimates of the solar insolation at a specific location. There is some debate about exactly how much efficiency is lost but low thick cloud cover could take solar panels to a quarter of their normal efficiency. Eventually with heavy cloud cover solar panels will produce really little useful power. In a city with extreme summer heat solar is a little less efficient which is part of the reason why solar panels in cloudy san francisco can actually produce more power over a year than the slightly sunnier hotter city of sacramento.

When clouds cover the sun light levels are reduced. It just reduces the output of energy. This does not shut down power production however. Of course it is rare to have one entirely cloudy day as it is rare to have one entirely clear day.

So there is no doubt that during thick cloud cover you lose a lot of efficiency. These images provide information about the level of cloud cover in a particular region. Incredibly your solar panels will put out their supreme amount of peak power during cloudy weather. The thing is when clouds cover the sun the solar system doesn t stop working producing power.

If there is enough light to cast a shadow in spite of the clouds your solar panels should operate at about half of their full capacity. The effects of clouds on a solar panel can be unexpectedly great. Figure 4 shows different profiles of the pv module recorded in cloudy days for the months of may june july and august. The thicker the clouds the less power the system will produce.

But depending on the cloud cover and the quality of the solar panels efficiency can drop to anywhere from 10 to 25 percent of the energy output seen on a sunny day.