Here are a few simple things solar panel owners can do to optimize solar panel performance and get the most out of arrays.
Ensure solar panels are facing the right way
According to The Daily Mail, most of the world’s solar panels are facing the wrong way. Scientists say that solar panels can generate more power when facing west instead of the traditional south. A study carried out by Pecan Street Research Institute studying homes in Texas found that homeowners who had solar panels facing west were able to generate 2% more electricity daily.
Adjust panels throughout the year
If you’re able to make adjustments to your solar panels throughout the year, you can generate the most electricity from them as possible. This is more doable on ground-mount installations, compared to residential, sloped roof installations.
- February – Tilt the panel at the same angle as your location’s latitude. If you’re at 50° latitude, tilt your panels to 50°.
- May – Reduce your panels’ tilt by 15°.
- August – Return the tilt angle to February’s amount.
- November – Add 15° to your tilt.
There are more precise mathematical equations to more accurately position panels based on where you live, but this is a good ball-park figure.
Balance production vs. consumption
By monitoring the inverter to see how much electricity is generated and comparing that to how much electricity you use, you can choose what to plug in and run inside the house based on what uses the most electricity when your solar system is producing the most. Keep in mind that weather can change your production levels quite rapidly.
Keep panels clean
A little TLC goes a long way with improving solar output over the lifespan of an array. Keeping solar panels clean either manually or through an expert solar O&M provider is an absolute must. Using a certified solar maintenance company is ideal when cleaning tricky parts—including bird droppings and other messy results of solar panels being outside in the elements.
Use a monitoring system
Monitoring systems keep an eye on solar panel performance, so when production drops, you will know that maintenance is required. Benefits of monitoring include keeping track of the amount of energy being produced by the solar panels, seeing how the solar panels are benefiting the environment by things like CO2 emissions, and seeing if any part the solar power system needs repairing. All of this information can be visually available through a mounted display or an app, giving you access to up-to-the-minute information about your solar power system from anywhere in the world.
Story contributed by SolarTech