How they work: Photovoltaic PV solar panels work by converting light in to electricity. Photo means light, Voltaic means electric. By installing a Solar PV panel system you can get paid to generate electricity by your energy supplier. Have a look at the Feed In Tariff page for more information about how a Solar PV installation can make you money.
Not all panels are the same! There are hundreds of different manufacturers of PV solar panels. They vary in size and quality so here's what to look out for.
Wp (watts peak):- This refers to the power produced under standard test conditions of a PV Solar Panel. Each PV solar panel is subjected to 1000 watts per square meter of light while the temperature of the Solar Panel is at 25 degrees Celsius. The amount of power in Watts is measured which gives the panel its power rating in Wp (watts peak). This is the highest power this panel is ever likely to produce hence the term "watts peak".
PV Array: Typically PV panels installed on buildings range from 180Wp to 250Wp each. These PV Solar panels, or modules, are then installed together to combine their power. PV modules installed together like this are called an array. Domestic arrays are usually between 1kWp to 4kWp.
Low light performance: Some PV Solar panels perform better under low light levels than others. Cornwall Solar Panels use PV Sol modelling software which takes in to account low light performance of PV Solar panels giving you a direct comparison with other PV panels. This is important as it will show you which panels will produce the most units of electric over a year.
PV Module Temperature: As the temperature of the PV Solar Panels increases the output will very gradually decrease. Once again, not all Solar PV panels are the same as some are affected more than others by changes in temperature. The PV Sol modelling software used by Cornwall Solar Panels also takes in to account the temperature of the panels as it has detailed weather data which takes in to account air temperature and even the cooling effect of the wind.
