This may be the result of hotspot that may occur when micro cracks appear in the cells.
Getting low voltage from solar panels after connecting in series.
For example if you installed 5 solar panels in series with each solar panel rated at 12 volts and 5 amps you d still have 5 amps but a full 60 volts.
When solar panels are wired in series the voltage of the panels adds together but the amperage remains the same.
In comparison to voltage and current watt is not a major issue.
Some exceptions may apply based on panel type.
Things however are entirely different if you connect in series panels of different current ratings.
So if you connect two solar panels with a rated voltage of 40 volts and a rated amperage of 5 amps in series the voltage of the series would be 80 volts while the amperage would remain at 5 amps.
Picture of wiring solar panels of different ratings in series.
Open circuit voltage can vary depending on your solar panel but the readings we are usually looking for are in the range of 15 to 23v.
Firstly lets take a look at connecting solar panels in series.
The series resistance of the solar cells in a panel could have increased overtime.
Simply touch the solar panel leads with the multi meter probes matching their corresponding polarity red to red black to black.
Solar panels are usually connected in series to obtain higher output voltage.
This is usually the case with 24v systems.
Putting panels in series makes.
If we connect 4 x 150w solar panels in series the total power is calculated as follows.
In a solar power system the higher the voltage and the lower the energy losses along the cables.
To know the maximum system voltage we usually just need to turn the panel and read the label where the value is reported.
You can see that if one of the solar panels has a lower voltage rating and the same current rating compared to the remaining panels the output power is lower than in the previous example but the loss is not significant.
By connecting multiple solar panels in series we increase the system voltage.
Total power 150w 150w 150w 150w 600w however if we were trying.
The higher voltage helps with the voltage drop caused by the large distance and allows the amperage to reach the controller efficiently.
Whenever you connect with each other a 60w solar panel to a 100w panel in series the gross hooked up power is likely to be 160w given that the two solar panels are of identical ampere rating.