Solar4Future+ Energy Tool
Solar4Future+ Energy Tool
Interactive student tool — calculate energy, savings & CO₂
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Enter panel area, efficiency and a local electricity price. Choose a city to use typical yearly solar irradiation for that location.

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Solar panel efficiency refers to the panel’s capacity to convert the sunlight it receives into electrical energy. Efficiency is calculated by comparing the electrical energy produced by the system to the energy it could theoretically produce.

Efficiency calculation formula:
Efficiency (%) = (Panel Output Power (W) / (Incident Solar Radiation Power (W/m²) x Panel Area (m²))) x 100

Parameters:
Panel output power (W). The maximum power specified on the panel’s label.
Incident solar light power (W/m²). The energy from the sun is considered to be 1000 W/m² under standard test conditions.
Panel area (m²). Calculated based on the physical dimensions of the panel.

Example: If a 540 W monocrystalline panel covers an area of 2 square metres:
Efficiency (%) = (540 / (1000 x 2)) x 100 = 27%.

Solar panel efficiency is affected by factors such as panel quality, panel type, cleanliness, air temperature, and shading.