Hobby Components Ltd SOLAR PANEL 5V 160MA 0.8W MINI SOLAR CELL

Polycrystalline silicon Max working voltage: 5V Max working current: 160ma Power: 0.8W Dimensions: 85mm × 85mm x 3mm FAQ: Why is the amount of current I get from my solar panel lower than the spec? The amount of energy a photovoltaic cell can produce is directly related to the amount of energy there is in the sunlight reaching it. As an example let’s make a rough calculation of the panels efficiency: When the Sun is directly overhead the amount of potential energy it produces is about 137 milliwatts for every square centimeter of area. For this panel the actual area of the cell is about 7.8 x 7.5cm.. This gives the maximum amount of energy that the cell can collect as 8 watts. The manufacturer specs this cell at a maximum output power of 0.8 Watts. This means that the cell is approximately 10% efficient. However, the above calculations are based on the maximum possible energy that can be collected from the sun when it is directly above. When taking into consideration the time of day, distance from the equator, and time of year, the sunlight hitting the panel is unlikely to be at this energy level. In the UK, not being located near the equator, in mid summer, and at high noon we get about 60% (this also varies greatly depending on if you are in Scotland or southern England) of the energy when compared to countries at the equator because the sun is never directly above us. So based on this, that the maximum amount of energy you can reasonably expect to get from the cell in the UK is about 0.48 Watts, or about 96mA In winter the sun is significantly lower in the sky, and in mid winter the amount of energy can be only a third of what it is in mid summer. Based on this, a third of the amount of available energy in mid summer is about 0.16 Watts, or 32mA.