Home Solar Panel – Testing Cells
Solar Cells inside a solar panel are tested by the manufacturer with artificial light called AM1 conditions. AM stands for air mass and is the amount of air the phoons have to travel before they reach the surface of the earth at sea level. Air mass 1 is when the sun is directly overhead at sea level. 1kW/m(squared) is energy available to one solar cell at AM1 equivilant. Even thought solar cells are tested at manufacture in this way you still need to test each solar cell when making a home solar panel if one cell has a very low output it can deprive you of energy from the other cells.
