{"id":1033,"date":"2012-02-06T23:12:59","date_gmt":"2012-02-06T13:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=1033"},"modified":"2025-07-29T10:11:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T00:41:30","slug":"understanding-solar-panel-specifications-part-2-power-tolerance-efficiency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/understanding-solar-panel-specifications-part-2-power-tolerance-efficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Solar Panel Specifications Part #2: Power, Tolerance & Efficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Part\u00a0#1<\/a>\u00a0I went into great detail about why the “Max Power” quoted on your solar panel specification<\/a> sheet and the real max power you will actually get from that panel are very different numbers. I showed you how to calculate a more accurate max power by using some little known temperature specs.<\/p>\n

In this post I’ll go through the other important numbers that you should look at when comparing solar panels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The solar panel specification sheet, looks a bit scary at first glance, with lots of curves and about 2 dozen numbers with techno-babble labels. The good news is that only 4 of these numbers actually need to be understood by you – the consumer. The other numbers are for the (CEC accredited) solar designer to use to make sure that he uses the correct panels in the correct wiring configuration with the correct inverter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 4 numbers you have to worry about are these:<\/p>\n

\"the<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1) Maximum Power at STC (Pmax)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the number that everyone refers to as the “size” of the solar panel. e.g. a 190W solar panel has an “STC maximum power” of 190W. I went on at \u00a0great lengths in my previous blog post as to why this number is very optimistic to put it mildly!<\/p>\n

2) Module Efficiency<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some solar panel data sheets also list “cell efficiency”. Don’t get module and cell efficiency mixed up! Cell efficiency if the efficiency of the solar cell (the beermat sized black\/blue piece of silicon – many of which make up a single panel) in isolation. \u00a0Solar Panel efficiency<\/a> is the efficiency of the panel as a whole and will always be slightly lower than the cell efficiency because of the gaps between individual cells. Most panels should have an efficiency of 13% or more.<\/p>\n

Unless you absolutely need to squeeze as many panels as possible onto your roof, then don’t worry too much about this number. I’ve written a whole blog post about why solar panel efficiency isn’t the most important factor and you can read it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3) Power Tolerance – <\/strong>This is the range within which a panel manufacturer is saying the module can deviate from its specified STC max power. For example: if you had a -10%\/+10% power tolerance on a 200W panel, the actual panels on your roof could have actual max Powers of between 180W and 220W.<\/p>\n

These days it is increasingly common to have a 0% negative power tolerance. Which means that the panel will always have a rated STC max power greater than or equal to the specification. I would argue that a 0% negative power tolerance is also a good sign that the panel manufacturer has got a good handle on its quality control and manufacturing processes. So my advice is – be choosy and look for panels with a 0% negative power tolerance.<\/p>\n

4) Maximum Power at NOCT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not all data sheets have this number – but most reputable brands will list it. If it is not listed, that may be a sign of a not-so-great panel manufacturer.<\/p>\n

This number is the maximum power of the panel when tested in harsher conditions than the STC max power. It is the power with less sun, and at higher panel temperatures. \u00a0It will typically be between 70-75% of the STC power. It is useful because it takes into account how much power is lost due to increasing temperatures.<\/p>\n

If you want to quickly get an idea of which panels will give you more power in reality – even though they have the same STC max power – then choosing the panel with the highest NOCT max power should give a fair indication of the best one for the hot Aussie conditions. \u00a0It does, of course, depend on the manufacturers’ specs being truthful!<\/p>\n

So there you have the 4 numbers that you need to know if you want to compare solar panels before buying. If you think there is a critical spec that I’ve missed out then let rip in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Part\u00a0#1\u00a0I went into great detail about why the “Max Power” quoted on your solar panel specification sheet and the real max power you will actually get from that panel are very different numbers. I showed you how to calculate a more accurate max power by using some little known temperature specs. In this post […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[64,100,51,70],"class_list":["post-1033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-solar-panels-2","tag-efficiency","tag-noct","tag-solar-panel-tests","tag-temperature","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUnderstanding Solar Panel Specifications Part #2: Power, Tolerance & Efficiency<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the 4 numbers on a solar panel specification that you should understand: STC Power, NOCT Power, Power Tolerance and Module Efficiency.\" 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I started SolarQuotes in 2009 and the SolarQuotes blog in 2013 with the belief that it\u2019s more important to be truthful and objective than popular. My last \"real job\" was working for the CSIRO in their renewable energy division. Since 2009, I\u2019ve helped over 800,000 Aussies get quotes for solar from installers I trust. Read my full bio.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/","https:\/\/x.com\/FinnPeacock"],"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-gF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1008,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/how-to-read-a-solar-panel-specification-part-1-power-temperature-specs\/","url_meta":{"origin":1033,"position":0},"title":"How To Read A Solar Panel Specification: Part #1 Power & Temperature Specs","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"February 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Does a solar panel specification with \"Max Power\" rated at, say 190W, really produce a maximum power of 190W when it is on your roof in the blazing sun? Short Answer: Not on your nellie! The max power rating (in Watts) that your solar panels are rated at is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Magnifying the NOCT on a solar panel specification","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/magnify-noct.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2121,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/be-careful-when-calculating-solar-panel-efficiency\/","url_meta":{"origin":1033,"position":1},"title":"Be Careful When Calculating Solar Panel Efficiency","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"December 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"One from the mailbag today that is bound to please fellow solar nerds: From Andrew in Cairns who has just had his system installed: Finn, I Finally got my 5KW system installed. \u00a0 I have a question for you if I may: If power output is calculated as: Area of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar Panels","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Fotolia_37940794_XS.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":391,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-top-10-things-to-check-on-every-solar-panel-specification\/","url_meta":{"origin":1033,"position":2},"title":"Are you getting the best Solar Panels? The Top 10 Things To Check","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"January 10, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"There are a bewildering array of solar panel brands out there. How do you sort the wheat from the solar chaff? My advice is go thru the spec sheet for each panel and judge them on the following top 10 solar panel selection criteria.","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"the best solar panels","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/solar-panels-in-box.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":949,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/two-reasons-you-must-look-at-efficiency-curves-when-choosing-your-solar-inverter\/","url_meta":{"origin":1033,"position":3},"title":"Two Reasons You Must Look At Efficiency Curves When Choosing Your Solar Inverter","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"January 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"In my last blog post I explained how to find an inverter's real-world efficiency instead of relying on the inverter manufacturer's \u00a0numbers. The CEC or European Efficiency numbers that I talked about are a much better number to use when comparing solar inverters. And for most people they will be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Inverters"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Inverters","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-inverters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"inverter with a trippy arrow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/inverter-sine-wave.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":934,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-inverter-efficiency-what-you-need-to-know-before-buying\/","url_meta":{"origin":1033,"position":4},"title":"Solar Inverter Efficiency: What you need to know before buying.","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"January 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Solar inverter efficiency is a critical specification that directly affects the efficiency of your entire solar system. It is almost always a much more important consideration than\u00a0solar panel efficiency. All the power generated by your solar panels has to go through your inverter before you can either use the power\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Inverters"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Inverters","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-inverters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Everything goes through the inverter so its efficiency is critical.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/inverter-efficiency.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":78794,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/budget-solar-panel-efficiency\/","url_meta":{"origin":1033,"position":5},"title":"Solar Panel Efficiency: Budget Brands No Longer Playing Catch-Up","author":"Kim Wainwright","date":"September 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The solar industry is undergoing a seismic shift. Gone are the days when only premium brands like Sunpower dominated the solar panel efficiency charts. Budget Chinese brands are not only catching up but in some cases, surpassing their high-end counterparts. Who are these emerging brands? How efficient are their panels,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Budget vs. premium solar panels","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/budget-and-premium-panels-efficiency.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/budget-and-premium-panels-efficiency.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/budget-and-premium-panels-efficiency.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/budget-and-premium-panels-efficiency.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/budget-and-premium-panels-efficiency.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1033"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93538,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1033\/revisions\/93538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}