It is a common question, that people are unsure if their solar system is performing as it should.
They have access to some data from the inverter’s LCD display but may not know how to interpret and analyse this information.
So, here is a quick guide.
The output of a system is proportionate to its size, and will be affected by variables such as your location, shading, orientation (North being best, NE and NW reducing by about 5% and E and W reducing by about 14%) and tilt.
The below table is an average. (see page 5 of pdf for summary: Source Clean Energy Council)
What does this mean? In short, it gives you a rough guide to output.
Because it is an average, you may get days with more and days with less. In fact, between winter and summer you’ll get a 30% difference anyway. Some days you may get double this, some days nothing.
In terms of performance, and deciding if your system is doing what it should, one best thing to do is look at the total kWh produced, divided by the # days the system has been installed.
If you are in doubt, or would like advice on how to work this out, please call us on 1300 792 011 and we can assist.
If you think the performance is low, we can also perform a safety audit and clean for a fair fee. In many cases, the benefit of cleaning panels will make this process worthwhile from a financial perspective, as well as the peace of mind you’ll get from a thorough safety audit.