How To Check If Your Solar Panel Is Working

The inverter is the first place to check to make sure your solar energy system is working properly.

How to check if your solar panel is working. The best way to check for signs of life is to measure a solar panel s voltage. With just a few hours of direct sunlight per day it will keep your stick up cam battery fully charged. Check the weather while solar panels work on cloudy and rainy days their output won t match that on clear sunny days. Check out our community post for tips on extending battery life as well as our help center article about the solar panel.

We found 46 of solar owners use their bill to see if there s a problem but this is unreliable. Look up is there shading or are the panels dirty. 1 but don t get stuck on this detail. If solar panels are the brawn of your solar energy system then the inverter is the brain.

Many companies that install solar panels offer some kind of system monitoring software that can help. When it s overcast your solar panels will likely operate at 10 to 25 of their rated capacity. Touch the multi meter s red positive lead to your solar panel s positive wire. Then touch the multi meter s black negative lead to your solar panel s negative wire.

If you suspect a problem and your system is within its installation warranty period typically 10 years call your installer to have them come check each panel. Of course using a solar panel is a great way to extend the time between charges. To measure the amp output of your solar panel you will need to attach the meter to the positive and negative. Don t rely on your electricity bill.

Look at the. You will need a solar panel tester known as an amp meter. Six simple steps to find out if all is well with your solar pv system. Voltage is pretty easy to measure and it s the best indicator we have to see if a panel has output.

Your inverter makes the direct current dc produced by your solar panels useable as alternating current ac for your home. The volt reading on your multi meter should be close to or just under 60 volts.