How Do I Know If My Solar Panels Are Working

In this kind of system if a single panel isn t working the whole string goes down kind of like if you cover half the panel on a solar calculator with your finger the calculator won t work.

How do i know if my solar panels are working. This loss of power can also be experienced if a couple of your panels are extra dirty or shaded. Your inverter makes the direct current dc produced by your solar panels useable as alternating current ac for your home. When you re logged into your secure monitoring portal you can see the daily weekly and monthly kilowatt hours kwh that your solar energy system has produced. Know your inverter if solar panels are the brawn of your solar energy system then the inverter is the brain.

Accessing your solar output data online. If your solar panels continuously output 5kw of power for a whole 60 minutes you will have produced 5kwh of energy. When it s overcast your solar panels will likely operate at 10 to 25 of their rated capacity. But don t get stuck on this detail.

Energy is measured in kilowatt hours kwh. You will want to ensure that you place the positive to positive and negative to negative when attaching your multimeter to the connection on the back of your solar panel. As most solar panels are 12 volts the solar panel test methods are basically the same. The inverter is the first place to check to make sure your solar energy system is working properly.

Most generation meters will have some sort of indication light that will let you know instantly if your system is not functioning correctly. If your panels are fairly new you should compare your kwh output to the monthly kwh estimate that your solar provider gave you with your initial design. Set the meter to above 200 vcd to ensure you get the most accurate reading possible. Fading fading fading don t let this happen to your panels.

Check this during the day when your system should be generating and if it is lit you may have a problem with a part of your solar system.