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Solar Panel Energy on Overcast Days

nxdmsandkaskdjaqd
nxdmsandkaskdjaqd Posts: 871 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
edited 27 November 2022 at 10:29AM in Energy
I am considering solar panels.  I would be interested to know how much energy you produce on a cloudy and wet day in say November (such as to today in south England).  

It just to give me an idea.  Would also need to know how many panels you have.
«13

Comments

  • mmmmikey
    mmmmikey Posts: 2,417 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Homepage Hero Name Dropper
    I have a 4kW array - 16 panels - of which 4 face south and 12 face east. Output varies between about 20kWh at the height of summer to 0.5kWh on a cloudy and wet November day like the ones we've had recently. Hope this helps :)
  • nologo
    nologo Posts: 195 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    Kent, 4.6 kw South facing. 30 Watts so far today
    nologo
    Deepest Kent. 4.6kW Growatt inverter, solar i boost+ 5.9kW Solar Edge

    ok so far...
  • jackieblack
    jackieblack Posts: 10,556 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    It varies massively, but the handful of days with zero generation have been those when the panels are covered by a layer of snow
    2.22kWp Solar PV system installed Oct 2010, Fronius IG20 Inverter, south facing (-5 deg), 30 degree pitch, no shading
    Everything will be alright in the end so, if it’s not yet alright, it means it’s not yet the end
    MFW #4 OPs: 2018 £866.89, 2019 £1322.33, 2020 £1337.07
    2021 £1250.00, 2022 £1500.00, 2023 £1500, 2024 £1350
    2025 target = £1200, YTD £9190
    Quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur
  • A 6.35kWp array. The monthly TOTAL predicted output for December is 110kWh. Last December, daily outputs ranged from 10.3kWh to 300Wh. This year my total output is c.12% above what was estimated. Solar; Winter and heavy cloud etc do not produce much in the way of a useful output - both in terms of kW and kWh.


  • Thanks for the feedback so far.  So in summary, a 4kw array, on a wet cloudy day, could just keep the household ticking over with produced energy i.e (fridges, freezers, LED lighting, central heating pumps, standby devices, about 200 watts)
  • chris_n
    chris_n Posts: 640 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
    Thanks for the feedback so far.  So in summary, a 4kw array, on a wet cloudy day, could just keep the household ticking over with produced energy i.e (fridges, freezers, LED lighting, central heating pumps, standby devices, about 200 watts)
    The odd day if won't do that, most days my 3.75kWp system would do a little more than that. Right now under heavy cloud in NE England 353w. In winter you only get generation for maybe 6 hours, maybe more on South Coast where at this time of year the days are an hour longer.
    Living the dream in the Austrian Alps.
  • As an example, I have had 8kwh system up and running for 2 days, it’s an overcast, day at the moment, no direct sunlight and this is what the system is producing at the moment 11am. 
    649w, and battery is giving back 71w, house load is asking for 605w. So running entirely on solar/ battery 
    "All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest”
  • So in summary, a 4kw array, on a wet cloudy day, could just keep the household ticking over with produced energy

    Err - no. You cannot take the total kWh generated in a day and divide by 24. If you look at my graph above, the TOTAL output from my array on the 21st November was just 280Wh or c. 1/4 of 1kWh. My inverter normally kicks in when the solar output exceeds about 70W.

    As I post, my array is outputting 500W.

  • Krakkkers
    Krakkkers Posts: 1,321 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    Lincolnshire, 4kwp, 16 panels south facing, dull and overcast, current production 196w.
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