An experiment performed with solar panels in Latvia and Italy by Baltijas Electro Association LLC revealed that power output difference between the two countries is only 18%.
The company notes that results of the experiment break the stereotype that southern countries, in which the sun shines more often, the power output of solar panels is significantly higher.
“The difference is not as large to believe solar panels in Latvia do not provide sufficiently high efficiency,” as representatives from the Baltic Electro Association LLC explains.
The company’s board chairman Edgars Bergholcs explains the purpose of this experiment was to determine the difference between solar parks in Latvia and one southern country. “It turns out the power output of solar panels in Italy’s Milan is only 18% higher than the output in Riga. This is very good news for our household owners. It once again reaffirms the return of solar panels to total self-consumption,” said Bergholcs.
The experiment used two different simulation systems – SolarEDGE and PVsyst. Solar panel stations facing south were used in this experiment.
The solar panel angle for the experiment in Riga and Milan was 30 degrees.
Results of the experiment allow for the conclusion that 100 kW power plants in Riga generate approximately 106 MWh of energy a year. Power plants in Milan generate 129 MWh a year.
“For us as large installers of solar panel systems in Latvia it was interesting to compare and study Latvia’s situation. Italy is one of the sunniest countries in Europe. In Latvia, on the other hand, there are only a dozen days a month that can be considered sunny. Despite this, the difference in the volume of generated electricity is only one-fifth of what we thought it was,” said Bergholcs, adding that results indicate that power is still generated by solar panels from sun rays in cloudy weather.
The chairman of Baltic Electro Association LLC says solar panels for private homes with appropriate output can generate enough energy to cover self-consumption needs for a whole year.
“Respectively, concerns about the start of the year, when energy stored during the year was used up, were not confirmed. Latvia is friendly towards solar energy, and returns are sufficiently high,” Bergholcs admits.
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