The graphic below shows how dramatically solar panel performance has improved over time.
Efficiency rating solar panels.
Most solar panels are between 15 and 20 efficient with outliers on either side of the range.
So if a solar panel has an efficiency rating of 15 that means 15 of the sunlight that hits the solar panels will be converted into electricity.
Solar panel efficiency is a measure of how much sunlight that hits the surface area of a solar panel is converted into usable electricity.
Total panel efficiency is measured under standard test conditions stc based on a cell temperature of 25 c solar irradiance of 1000w m2 and air mass of 1 5.
If a solar panel has 20 percent efficiency that means it s capable of converting 20 percent of the sunshine hitting it into electricity.
The efficiency of a panel is calculated by the maximum power rating w at stc divided by the total panel area in meters.
In other words the efficiency value that we can find on the datasheet of a solar panel represents the ability of the module to convert sunlight into electricity according to its size.
The most efficient solar panels commercially available today have solar panel efficiency just under 23.
The average efficiency of solar panels falls between the 17 to 19 percent efficiency range.
The highest efficiency solar panels on the market today can reach almost 23 percent efficiency.