backchannel: solar panel specs vs observations

from /r/vandwellers:

You’ll never see that 400w rating in reality.

low ambients, high altitude, and cloud edge effect have entered the chat

Solar panels are comically overrated.

Solar panels are precisely rated under standard test conditions. Real world harvest will usually be lower and occasionally equal to or higher than the lab rating for the reasons linked above.

I have 400w and i dont think ive ever seem them put out more than like 2-300w even in full sun.

Making observations is helpful; generalizing from those observations to “you’ll never see that 400w rating in reality” is less helpful.

---

This has been installment #748 of “I don’t care how misinformed you are as long as you don’t spread it to others.”