Your Solar Guide: Solar Panel Performance Terminology
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Solar Panel Performance Terminology
Solar Efficiency Terms
AMPM standard: rating indicates how solar panels perform from peak sunlight hours to nonpeak sunlight hours. Indicates how a panel will perform and takes into account light variations during the day, ambient temperatures and factors related to air mass that affect solar energy potential.
Normal operating cell temperature (NOCT) rating: rating of a solar power system’s potential to withstand factors that affect efficiency. The calculation uses peak sunshine during the assessment.
Peak watt rating: this number reflects testing in laboratory conditions and shows how much energy in peak watts (Wp) a solar module generates.
Solar Energy Performance Terms
Current at maximum power (
Current-voltage (IV): ratings compare the differences in terms of output when insolation (the amount of light that falls on a panel) and temperature vary. This rating is useful for learning how a solar panel will perform as the temperature changes and sunlight potential decreases on a cloudy day.
Nominal voltage (
Rated power: shows the solar panel’s ability to sustain power output throughout the day, defines the panel’s peak capacity.