Solar panel efficiency is a measure of how much sunlight that hits the surface area of a solar panel is converted into usable electricity.
Energy efficiency of solar panels.
Solar cell efficiency refers to the portion of energy in the form of sunlight that can be converted via photovoltaics into electricity by the solar cell.
The highest efficiency solar panels on the market today can reach almost 23 percent efficiency.
The average efficiency of solar panels falls between the 17 to 19 percent efficiency range.
If a solar panel has 20 percent efficiency that means it s capable of converting 20 percent of the sunshine hitting it into electricity.
What is solar panel efficiency.
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.
The conversion efficiency of a photovoltaic pv cell or solar cell is the percentage of the solar energy shining on a pv device that is converted into usable electricity.
Improving this conversion efficiency is a key goal of research and helps make pv technologies cost competitive with conventional sources of energy.
High quality solar panels can exceed 22 efficiency in some cases and almost reach 23 but the majority of photovoltaic panels available are not above 20 efficiency.
The efficiency of the solar cells used in a photovoltaic system in combination with latitude and climate determines the annual energy output of the system.
For example a solar panel with 20 efficiency and an area of 1 m2 will produce 200 kwh yr at standard test conditions but it can produce more when the sun is high in the sky and will pro.