diy solar

diy solar

Jackery 60W Panel Performance Decrease

sneagan

New Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2021
Messages
3
I have a Jackery 60W panel that has been putting out 64W all winter. It's hot again now and the panel was putting out 27W or less. I tinkered with everything I could think of to no avail. Then I got a cloth with ice in it and rubbed it across the panel to cool it down and immediately got 60W again. Is there a special kind of panel I need for operation in intense heat? I had been planning to increase my solar significantly this summer, but getting half the rated output won't fly.
 
Welcome to the forum.

Is it possible that you caught your panel at a moment where the battery was almost fully charged? Panel power decreases as the battery fills and can't accept more power. Covering the panel may have allowed the battery voltage to settle and then resumed full power output once the panel was back online. And easy way to check this is to impart a > 60W load to the system and see if the panel output increases to meet the load.

If the panel really is suffering from heat related issues, different panels have different sensitivity to heat, and the means of installation can influence it.

Most panels are designed with heat in mind, and most have a power coefficient describing how panel output decreases with increasing heat.

Panels installed in such a way that don't permit the panels to cool themselves effectively can also impact performance.

Example - my panels:


Temperature Coefficient Pmax: -0.40%/℃

That means I lose 4% for every 10°C over 25°C, so at a toasty 45°C, I'm 8% off of my peak for the given conditions.
 
Thanks very much for the welcome and the data. This is all helpful information. The batter was far from charged and when I went back outside after a few minutes to check the input to the battery was back down to 27W. I repeated the cooling process with the same results. I think this means that this little flexible panel isn't able to perform at peak when it's that hot.

I've ordered a Renogy 100W and some adapters to see that type of panel gives me different results. I'll try configuring it according to the heat dissipation information you shared. Very interesting.
 
I wasn't aware it was flexible. The secret to success with flexible panels is to have low expectations and to ensure you procure one coated with ETFE with a 5+ year defect warranty.

If you have them flat on the ground, they will not perform well.
 
Back
Top