A study of solar panel efficiency in Latvian climate conditions

Abstract

With solar panels increasingly used in nearly zero energy building solutions it is important to clarify if the panels can achieve the efficiency indicators specified by their producers in real operation conditions. To determine the efficiency of poly- and monocrystalline panels depending on their spatial orientation and the seasons a set of test panels was installed in 2018 in Riga, Latvia for long-term monitoring of the amount of generated power and produced energy. Here we summarize the results of the first year of monitoring. Data indicate that orientation has high significance, very small amounts of energy are generated in autumn/winter and that there is a good correspondence of the actual efficiency to the standardized estimated values. The energy production is significantly reduced by the cloudiness that is characteristic for Latvia’s climate from October till January. To make a generalization of the results possible it is planned to continue the monitoring for several years.