{"id":300,"date":"2016-03-21T20:32:04","date_gmt":"2016-03-21T20:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.185.126.10\/~cowlick3\/sunbeamenergy.ca\/?page_id=300"},"modified":"2016-06-16T12:46:01","modified_gmt":"2016-06-16T12:46:01","slug":"faqs-solar","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sunbeamenergy.ca\/faqs-solar\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQ’s SOLAR"},"content":{"rendered":"

Q1. What is the difference between Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline Solar Panels?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rigid solar panel cells are usually made up of either monocrystalline or polycrystalline (aka multicrystalline)\u00a0cells. Monocrystalline cells are cut from a chunk of silicon that has been grown from a single crystal. These are used in the more expensive types of solar panels and are more efficient in converting the sun’s rays to electricity.<\/p>\n

A polycrystalline cell is cut from multifaceted silicon crystal. More surface area is required due to inherent flaws and these panels are less efficient in converting the sun’s rays. However, polycrystalline technology has closed up the performance gap in recent years.<\/p>\n

Q2. Do\u00a0Solar Panels Work in the Cold?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Solar panels\u00a0actually generate more power at lower temperatures, other factors being equal.\u00a0\u00a0Solar panels\u00a0are really electronic devices and generate electricity from light, not heat.\u00a0Solar panels\u00a0actually operate more efficiently at a cooler temperature.<\/p>\n

Q3. What effect does Shade have on Solar Panel Performance?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Shade means\u00a0power interruption in a solar array.\u00a0 If one row of cells is shaded you can lose up to 90% of all power to each module in the series.<\/p>\n

Solar Pathfinder should be used to identify\u00a0shading problems.<\/p>\n

Micro-Inverters (like Enphase)\u00a0 can\u00a0help minimize the power loss due to\u00a0shading.\u00a0Modules should\u00a0 be\u00a0shade free\u00a0between\u00a0 9AM\u00a0to 3PM.<\/p>\n

Q4. Do Panels\u00a0Work In Cloudy Weather?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Solar panels\u00a0do generate electricity in cloudy weather although their output is diminished.\u00a0They do not need direct sun and can even generate 50-70% of their rated output under overcast sky’s\u00a0 Dark overcast can reduce rated output to as low as\u00a05-10%.<\/p>\n

Q5. How\u00a0are Solar Panels Rated?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Solar Panels\u00a0are rated at a well- defined set of conditions known as Standard Test Conditions (STC). These conditions include the temperature of the PV cells (25 C or 77 F.), the intensity of radiation (1 kW\/square meter), and the spectral distribution of the light (air mass 1.5 or AM 1.5, which is the spectrum of sunlight that has been filtered by passing through 1.5 thicknesses of the earth’s atmosphere).<\/p>\n

Q6. What Else Do I Need In My\u00a0Solar Power\u00a0System?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Solar panels\u00a0are inherently DC devices, land\u00a0 DC\/AC inverters to supply AC power in standard voltages and frequencies.\u00a0 On the electrical side, protective devices such as diodes, fuses, circuit breakers, safety switches and grounds are required to meet electric code safety standards. Solar systems require mounting hardware to support and elevate the\u00a0solar panels.<\/p>\n

Q7. Will Tracking Improve The Performance Of My System? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tracking systems can improve efficiency anywhere from 25 to 40% depending on many factors.<\/p>\n

The effectiveness of tracking depends a lot on the climate and the application. Areas with a lot of haze or clouds won\u2019t get much benefit from trackers because the light is scattered.\u00a0Under ideal conditions, trackers improve solar panel output\u00a0from 25-\u00a040%.\u00a0 Local conditions will need\u00a0to be evaluated to determine if tracking is the right decision.<\/p>\n

Q8. How About Using Reflectors To Concentrate More Light On The Panels?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Reflectors can increase the output of\u00a0solar arrays somewhat,\u00a0however\u00a0higher\u00a0temperatures and light intensities can lead to premature failure of the module. The\u00a0use of artificial reflectors is not recommended and in some cases can void the warranty.<\/p>\n

Q9. How Long Will My\u00a0Solar Power\u00a0System Last? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Systems are designed to last 25 to 40 years.<\/p>\n

Q10. Do\u00a0Solar Panels\u00a0Lose Power Over Time?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Typical power loss after\u00a020 years is 20%.<\/p>\n

Q11. How Durable Are Solar Panels?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Solar Panels\u00a0are the longest lived component of a\u00a0solar power\u00a0system.\u00a0They are designed to withstand\u00a0desert heat,\u00a0arctic cold,\u00a0tropical humidity, and winds in excess of 100mph (160kph)<\/p>\n

Q12. What Should I Look For When Purchasing A Solar Panel?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

An informed buyer will look at a number of items when buying a Solar Panel. First, ask the seller what external agencies have tested, qualified, or otherwise approved the module. In Canada, look for a listing from Underwriters Laboratories (ULC)\u00a0and look for products that conform to\u00a0safety and performance standards.<\/p>\n

Examine the warranty. Is it vague or does it guarantee a specific level of performance?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Q1. What is the difference between Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline Solar Panels? Rigid solar panel cells are usually made up of either monocrystalline or polycrystalline (aka multicrystalline)\u00a0cells. Monocrystalline cells are cut from a chunk of silicon that has been grown from a single crystal. These are used in the more expensive types of solar panels and are more efficient in converting the sun’s rays to electricity. A polycrystalline cell is cut from multifaceted silicon crystal. More surface area is required due to inherent flaws and these panels are less efficient in converting the sun’s rays. However, polycrystalline technology has closed up …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-300","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunbeamenergy.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunbeamenergy.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunbeamenergy.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunbeamenergy.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunbeamenergy.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunbeamenergy.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":478,"href":"https:\/\/www.sunbeamenergy.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/300\/revisions\/478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sunbeamenergy.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}