Why might energy from the solar panels sometimes be near zero even in the summer?
Solar photovoltaic panels are highly inefficient to begin with. There are a few possible reasons why it does not produce energy even in the summer . Wrong inverter is used 2. The angle of installation (azimuth and tilt) is not optimum to capture the sun Solar photovoltaic panels are expensive and inefficient, and will not survive in the long run.
Solar panels are a little like batteries or christmas lights, they are often connected in series, if something is wrong in a string of them, current simply won't flow just like how all the lights in some christmas lights go out if one bulb goes out and you have to find the bad bulb by replacing bulbs one at a time.
Hey Cosmic, forget about Wayfare and Jenny here, but I have to say your question is a bit vague. When you say the panels produce near zero, how near? Are you using a watt meter, ammeter, or some other sort of metering device. Solar electric, or photovoltiac panels are made almost entirely of silicone wafers. Same as computer chips, when they get hot, the resist the flow of electrons. This is why most panel manufacturers advise installers to upgauge wiring if the temperature falls below 40 degrees F (5C) regularly. Below 0 C, you have to upgauge 2 wire sizes. A good quality panel will put out 50% of its rated power in very cold climates, so it stands to reason that they will put out substantially less in hot weather. Many people think places like the SW United States is great for solar because it's always sunny. In Las Vegas for example, they have 27 sunny days a month, and in August, the temperature frequently reaches 50 degrees C (20F) so people with photovoltiac panels are not even getting half their rated power on a good day. I'm not sure this is what you are asking about. Our home has been powered by the wind and sun for 2 years now. In the summer in the upper midwest, the days are warmer of course, but also much longer than in the winter. So our batteries will frequently fill up by 2:00pm, and the charge controller will taper off the solar charging the rest of the day to minimize overcharging. If you were to check the meters at 3pm, you might notice only 3 or 4 amps coming in when the array is rated at 42. This is normal for us in July and August. These are some reason why a solar array produces near zero in the summertime. Take care Cosmic, Rudydoo
Because when the sun is down there is no solar energy, therefore they produce zero energy. This can happen any time of the year when the sun has set. But not to worry, they the sun will rise the next day. ;-) If you need constant power, it is best to connect the solar panels to the grid or to batteries to have power throughout the day and night too !
