Solar Plant

This might be a little surprising, but solar generation doesn;t have much to do with how hot the weather is. Yes, summer days when it’s not cloudy are a great time to see solar kick in strongly,. but extreme heat is not good for generation as well.

This is because solar panels generate electricity thanks to the flow of electrons that are stimulated by light falling on the cell. Most panels available today are tested for optimum operations between 15 to 35 or even 40 degrees centigrade.

When temperatures spike, these electrons can bounce around too much and too fast, reducing voltage, or the amount of electricity generated.

Thus, for every rise in temperature beyond 38 degrees or so, efficiency can come down by 0.5%. At 45 degrees, you could be looking at a 3-4% drop in efficiency therefore.
Excessive heat can even lead to malfunctions of other parts in the system.

The efficiency of solar inverters plays a crucial role in power conversion. Most modern solar inverters achieve efficiency levels between 95% and 96%, converting a significant portion of the DC power generated by solar panels into usable AC power. For instance, if a solar plant produces 100 units of DC power, only about 95 to 96 units will be converted into AC power due to these efficiency limits.

Several things can lower the amount of electricity your solar system produces. Dust, dirt, and bird droppings on panels (called soiling) can block sunlight, while cloudy or rainy weather naturally reduces how much sun your system gets.

Even in perfect conditions, you won’t always get the maximum possible output. This is because your inverter, solar panels, and other equipment don’t work at 100% efficiency all the time. Over the years, solar panels also lose a little bit of their power—usually less than 1% per year. So, while your system may be designed for a certain output, real-world factors always bring that number down a bit.