PV Gap

Evelyn Said:

how do i use multimeter with mini solar panels?

We Answered:

you probably need to reduce the range on the multimeter. set it to millivolts and maybe microamps. A commercial panel of about 500mm x 1000mm has an output of maybe 40W, so a really small unit is probably perhaps 1 W or less. Your meter may not be sensitive enough.

Dianne Said:

At what angle do solar panels have to be positioned to get the most efficiency?

We Answered:

This depends on your latitude and where you are. If you're in the northern hemisphere, it faces south, with a tilt direction at the sun with respect to the average tilt of the earth. If you're in the southern hemisphere, the solar panels (both photovoltaic and solar thermal) face north. If you're on the equator, then they may lie flat on your roof. In US at a latitude of 40 degrees, you may want a tilt of about 20 degrees (because of change of seasons). You can alway angel the panels easier than modifying an existing roof. Be sure NOT to shade any part of photovoltaic panels at ant time.

Deanna Said:

Is it possible to see solar panels with efficiency of over 30% being mass produced within the next decade...?

We Answered:

Possible though they're unlikely to be cheap and even if you get the efficiency up to 100% and the price down to 1¢/MW they still won't be all that useful for replacing fossil fuels without major technological breakthroughs in large scale energy storage (at most you might be able to get 20% or 30% of your electricity from ground based solar without energy storage).