3rd Interview with John Shaw.
This is my 3rd video interview with John Shaw Project Engineer Bella Energy of out of Louisville Colorado.
SolarDave: Do Solar Panels Work Better at Higher Altitude?
John Shaw:The fact is at 6,000 feet you are actually closer to the sun so the eradiation (?) would likely be more than the 1,000 watts per meter squared. I think we have done a little test right outside here and seen 1025 watts per meter squared.
On one hand you could potentially be getting more but because of differences in humidity and air pressure things like that you could be getting less.
When someone talks about a Sanyo 200 watt panel that 200 watt panel has been established in STC standard testing conditions which is a certain humidity at 75 degrees at sea level and in the lab.
And then there is PTC which is Pacific Test Conditions which is supposed represent a little more reality I think they just change the temperature and humidity.
Nah. There’s NO way its because you’re closer to the sun. Thinking about the scale you might be .0000000001% closer to the sun, of its total distance. But the atmosphere being thinner, I’d imagine you’re getting more sunlight/less sunlight reflected by the atmosphere. Likewise, I don’t know how much the atmosphere reflects of all the sunlight passing the earth.
It’s a cool question.
I think the guy meant to say irradiance and not irradiation. The distance from the sun has basically no effect on the irradiance. The shorter distance the light travels in the atmosphere would probably have some small effect though.
Absolutely, the air is thinner and thus less particulates to block the sun. It is why the San Luis valley is the “hottest spot” in Colorado for solar!