Commercial solar panel investments are growing steadily around the globe.
This is due to a few factors.
One is that solar panel efficiency has considerably increased in recent years.
With governments establishing aggressive net-zero objectives, there is also more pressure on companies to embrace renewable energy options to decrease their carbon impact.
Commercial solar panels cost a lot of companies a lot of money.
Some people, though, aren’t taking sufficient measures to preserve the solar panels’ lifespan efficiency.
Their panels don’t produce as much power as they should as a consequence, which costs the company money.
Businesses may take a number of actions to preserve the effectiveness of their solar panels.
Here are our top six recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of commercial solar panels so that companies may get the highest potential power production.
The Six Best Techniques For Increasing Solar Panel Efficiency
#1. Purchase A Model Of A More Effective Solar Panel.
Photovoltaic cells, which make up solar panels, are responsible for converting solar energy in the form of sunshine into useful power.
A solar panel can’t convert all of the solar energy it absorbs into power, even if it would be fantastic.
The proportion of energy that actually gets converted into electricity by solar cells is what is known as a panel’s efficiency.
In the last five years, solar cell technology has advanced significantly, and the average solar cell efficiency has gone from 15 to 20 percent.
But not all solar panels are made equal, and a model’s composition and construction affect its effectiveness (and price).
Purchasing one of the most effective commercial solar panel types is undoubtedly the most crucial thing you can do if you want the greatest outcomes, even if the initial cost will probably be higher.
In 2020, LG and Sunpower will create some of the most effective commercial solar panel types available, with efficiencies of approximately 22%.
Find out more about the top 10 solar panel models for 2020 from Clean Energy Reviews, and choose the one that’s best for you and your company.
#2. Purchase Photovoltaic (CPV) Panels With High Concentrations Of Cells.
The idea behind CPV is to concentrate sunlight onto a solar cell with a very high efficiency that would otherwise be too costly to use directly.
The most efficient conventional solar panels have a maximum efficiency of 22%, whereas CPV panels’ cells have a maximum efficiency of 46%!
Excellent efficiency, nevertheless, comes at a high cost.
CPV panels may cost as much as four times as much as conventional PV panels.
Additionally, there aren’t as many CPV models as there are for conventional PV.
But if you can locate a provider and have the cash to invest up front, CPV is definitely something to think about.
#3. Steer Clear Of Dark Locations While Putting Up Solar Panels
It makes obvious that shadow reduces the power production since solar panels need sunshine to create electricity.
Many individuals, however, are unaware of how shading affects a number of solar panels.
Even a little amount of shading may affect the amount of energy produced by nearby solar cells.
It serves as a resistor, which explains this.
When it comes to shadowing solar panels, tall trees and other structures are the two primary culprits.
Spend time analyzing a location throughout the planning phase to make sure that shadow won’t be a problem.
#4. Have Your Solar Panels Installed By A Professional.
Solar panels won’t get the ideal amount of sunshine and will produce less power if they aren’t placed properly.
The direction and the angle are two important factors to take into account while installing panels.
For the most sunshine exposure, solar panels should typically be installed at an angle of between 18 and 36 degrees.
Your solar panels should face the south if you live in the northern hemisphere.
If you’re in the southern hemisphere, they should face north similarly.
Ironically, temperature levels also have an impact on the effectiveness of solar panels.
As the temperature rises, the efficiency of panels may decrease.
During installation, a wide enough space should be allowed between the solar panels and the roof.
As a result, air can travel easily and your photovoltaic solar panels won’t overheat.
If all of this information is unfamiliar to you, it may be worthwhile to hire a professional to install your solar panels so that you can maximize their efficiency.
#5. Keep Your Solar Panels Clean
Solar panels need extremely minimal maintenance since they don’t have any moving components.
However, it’s recommended to regularly clean your solar panels since dirt and dust may collect on the surface and decrease performance.
The frequency of rain and the expense of having your solar panels cleaned are two variables that affect how often you should clean them.
Dust and filth may only reduce productivity by 5% over the course of a year.
The productivity might reduce by more than 20% if they get very unclean, for example in an area without regular rainfall.
Consequently, it is a good idea to clean your solar panels once a year.
#6. Utilize Energy Management Software To Keep An Eye On Your Solar Panel Output
Some companies install solar panels and then abandon them if they are satisfied with the initial production levels.
This is a concern since you won’t know when your solar panels’ efficiency declines if you don’t track the quantity of electricity they produce.
Connecting your solar panels to energy management software like Surple is one method to monitor your generation levels.
By doing this, you can keep an eye on the production over time and spot any sudden drops.
This is easy using Surple’s analytical tools.
Go to the Analytics tab, choose your solar meters, and then check out the energy produced.
Is it lower than you anticipated? It could be time to clean them now.
Or maybe a panel is broken?
However, energy managers are busy, so it would be preferable if you could spend less time combing through data.
Right? I concur.
I’ll explain to you an even more effective technique to use Surple to track the production of your solar panels now.
Create an alert for any group of solar meters by going to the Alarms page.
Then, input the bare minimum of energy you would anticipate them to be producing.
I’m done now.
It’s all done now.
When the chosen meters produce less power than the predetermined threshold, you will now be alerted in Surple and via email.
Basically, if you use Surple, you may relax knowing that your panels are operating effectively up until an alert is triggered.
Then, you may want to clean your panels or make sure they aren’t damaged.
Conclusion
You now have it.
Commercial solar panels are being used by more companies than ever to save money and lessen their environmental effect.
However, you won’t likely attain optimal efficiency in terms of power generation if commercial solar panels aren’t installed, maintained, and monitored appropriately.
With the aid of these six suggestions, you should be able to maintain peak performance levels and increase solar panel efficiency, which will save you money and lessen the environmental effect of your company.
Since you’ve read this manual, you may also find our in-depth guide on energy management for companies trying to increase the effectiveness of their facilities interesting.
