Solar Panel Ptc Test Conditions

The major difference between stc and ptc is the temperature.

Solar panel ptc test conditions.

Most home solar panels on the market today have power output ratings. These were called photovoltaics for utility scale applications test conditions or pvusa test conditions. They are very important when more than one solar panel is to be used together in an array. The ptc rating represents a more real life condition of 1 000 watts per square meter solar irradiance 1 5 air mass and 20 degrees c.

Ptc has been developed at the university of davis california. Because the stc rating is a measurement calculated under ideal laboratory conditions it s not always a useful metric for designing your system. In the pv industry there are various standards testing conditions to test the performance and output of solar pv modules. Ptc is an acronym standing for pv usa test conditions and is us american solar panel test condition standard.

Ambient temperature at 10 meters above ground level and wind speed of 1 meter per second. Solar panel output is expressed in units of watts w and represents the panel s theoretical power production under ideal sunlight and temperature conditions. Every panel is assigned a nameplate power output value which is measured using stc standard test conditions. As compared to standard test conditions ptc is a more real world approach to measure the actual performance of a solar cell.

Ptc condition details and testing setup. Major test conditions include normal operating cell temperature noct pv usa test conditions ptc standard test conditions stc low irradiance conditions lic high temperature conditions htc and low temperature conditions ltc whose basics will be explained and compared in this article. The conditions were called photovoltaics for utility scale applications test conditions or pvusa test conditions. Ptc is an acronym for pv usa test conditions which were developed at the pv usa test site at the university of davis california.

Stc standard test condtions and ptc pvusa test conditions are the two methods of testing module performance. The photovoltaics for utility scale application test conditions or ptc is significantly different than the stc testing protocols. Under ptc the solar cells have their normal operating cell temperature at 45 c as if it were in the sun. All solar panels are rated by the amount of dc direct current power they produce under standard test conditions.

Under ptc lighting conditions are the same as the stc but the solar module is heated to a more realistic operating temperature of 113 degrees.