PV Gap

Erika Said:

What factors effect the amount of electricity produced from solar panels?

We Answered:

irradiance in watts/meter^2 (1000-800w/m^2 depending on air quality)
COS of angle to the suns rays
efficiency of the panels (usually about 15%)
age of the panels(one dead cell can drop an entire panel from the array)
how dirty are the panels (dust, bird poop, leaves, shading)
efficiency of the inverter (usually about 90%)

All of these factors affect the amount of electricity produced. One other consideration is that in areas of extreme hot and cold the band gap of the silicon is changed. Thus in very low temperatures(-20F) the voltage gets higher and the current gets lower. In high temps(110F), the voltage goes lower and the current gets higher.

If you would like more information on solar electric systems visit:
http://www.aurorapower.net/alternative-e…

Hope that helps!