Solar Energy Show

The sun is shining brightly on your rooftop solar panels (or the panels you hope to have). But how can you tell if those photons falling from the sky are actually turning into useful electricity? Since there are no moving parts to a rooftop solar system, it can indeed be difficult to tell if you are getting what you paid for. Fortunately, there are four easy ways to keep an eye on your system’s performance. Check the green light on your inverter, check to see that your meter is running backwards, check your electric bill, and check your monitoring system. 1. If you have an ordinary string inverter (that big box hanging on the wall near your electric meter), all you need to do is make sure the green light is on and that the inverter’s display indicates that power (measured in watts) is being generated. Usually you should see peak output around noon, and on a sunny day this output will usually be about 75% of the rated DC output of your system. 2. Another way to check your system’s operation is to see if your