How Do You Know If Solar Panels Are Working

Your inverter makes the direct current dc produced by your solar panels useable as alternating current ac for your home.

How do you know if solar panels are working.

Most generation meters will have some sort of indication light that will let you know instantly if your system is not functioning correctly. A red or orange light during daylight hours means there s a system event or fault. A simple health check is to look at the colour of the lights shining on the box during daylight hours when the system s meant to be running. The inverter is the first place to check to make sure your solar energy system is working properly.

24 7 real time monitoring the solar analytics smart monitor keeps track of your solar energy system s performance in real time live five second data and measures against a number of benchmarks including local weather data. A green light on your inverter means your system is functioning properly. While solar panels work on cloudy and rainy days their output won t match that on clear sunny days. Fading fading fading don t let this happen to your panels.

If solar panels are the brawn of your solar energy system then the inverter is the brain. This loss of power can also be experienced if a couple of your panels are extra dirty or shaded. In this kind of system if a single panel isn t working the whole string goes down kind of like if you cover half the panel on a solar calculator with your finger the calculator won t work. But don t get stuck on this detail.

Check this during the day when your system should be generating and if it is lit you may have a problem with a part of your solar system. Look at the figures on your generation meter.