California Solar Panel Efficiency Ratings

The average efficiency of solar panels falls between the 17 to 19 percent efficiency range.

California solar panel efficiency ratings. A higher efficiency rating is better because it means that your solar panel is able to convert more of the sunlight it captures into electricity. Solar panels have been consistently increasing in efficiency at about 5 annually since 2010. Solar panel efficiency is a measure of how much sunlight that hits the surface area of a solar panel is converted into usable electricity. The california energy commission adopted building standards that require solar photovoltaic systems starting in 2020.

The cec developed the solar equipment lists under senate bill 1 murray chapter 132 statutes of 2006 establishing criteria and standards for solar incentive programs under the california solar initiative such as the new solar home partnership program nshp. The panel s maximum wattage is divided by this number and then multiplied by 100 percent to calculate solar panel efficiency. Solar panel efficiency is a measure of the amount of solar energy irradiation which falls on a panel surface and is converted into electricity due to the many recent advances in solar cell technology over the last 5 years average panel conversion efficiency has increased from 15 to 20. What affects solar panel efficiency.

Online resource center documents and training information to help building communities and enforcement agencies comply with the building energy efficiency standards. Solar panel efficiency refers to how well your solar panel can convert sunlight into usable electricity. The highest efficiency solar panels on the market today can reach almost 23 percent efficiency. Average efficiency ratings range between 15 to 20 percent with the manufacturers lg solar panasonic and solaria currently holding the highest efficiency ratings of the panels currently available although canadian solar rec and.

So if a solar panel has an efficiency rating of 15 that means 15 of the sunlight that hits the solar panels will be converted into electricity. Factors that affect solar panel efficiency. The lists helped ensure the solar equipment met minimum safety and performance standards. What is solar panel efficiency.

Ultimately there are only a handful of primary categories that are important when getting solar panels rated. Solar engineers use a multitude of criteria for to design engineer and manufacture solar panels. This large jump in efficiency resulted in the power output of a standard size. For example if two solar panels both have 15 percent efficiency ratings but one has a power output rating of 250 watts and the other is rated at 300 watts it means that the 300 watt panel is about 20 percent physically larger than the 250 watt panel.

How we came up with our solar panel ratings.