5 Ways to Make Sure Your Solar Panels Operate at Its Optimum

If your solar panels operate at their optimum efficiency, you will be able to receive more electricity. Otherwise you will have to suffer a longer payback period for your investment.

There a few simple ways to make sure you are getting the most out of your solar investment. All these involve the efficiency of your PV panels. I have summarized the most important points for you here:

1. Use high-efficiency PV panels

Although this is not exactly a way to make sure your PV panels are operating at their maximum efficiency, it is important. When you choose the right PV panels, more than half the battle is won. Some PV panels are cheap, but they do not yield a lot of electricity per square foot. Therefore you have to punch the figures into your calculator and make sure you are getting the cheapest electricity with the most reliable manufacturer. Dirt-cheap solar panels may end up being the most expensive ones in disguise.

2. Keep your PV panels clean

By keeping your PV panels clean, you are allowing more sunlight on your solar cells. This is good, because with more light, more electricity can be generated. Photovoltaic panels with dust, dirt and leaf on it cause shading. These panels are most likely generating about 80 percent of that they are capable of. Simply by washing the dirt away, you can increase your power production by 20 percent.

3. Cool your solar panels

Solar cells decrease in performance as they increase in temperature. Such is the nature of many semiconductors. Unfortunately as the sun shines on your solar panels, they inevitably get heated up. What you can do is to leave at least six inches of air gap between the roof and the solar panels so that air can move freely to take away excess heat from the solar power panels. You can also install other cooling devices to help keep your PV panels cool.

4. Point your PV panels to the correct direction

It is important to tilt your solar panels southwards so that they can catch as much sunlight as possible. This is true for those of us who live in the northern hemisphere. If sunlight shines on the solar panels at an angle, the illumination would not be as intense as when it shines squarely on the photovoltaic panel surface. For industrial solar panels, investing in a solar tracker may help to recover a lot of energy that would otherwise be lost. These devices help solar panels to follow the sun. This ensures that incident rays are always perpendicular to the surface of the panel.

5. Use the correct type of wires

Even if PV panels are operating at their best, energy can be lost if unsuitable wires are used. This is because if the wires are too thin, resistance converts a large portion of your solar electricity into heat. Thus it is crucial to use the correct type of wires.




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