How Much Power Does a 200 Watt Solar Panel Produce?

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A solar panel rated 200 watt/12V on average only produces about 140-160 Watts (70-80%) of its rated power during daily use.

This is because the rated power is generated under specific conditions of lighting and temperature found in the testing centers.

This is not unlikely to be found consistently at the places of installation.

To make up for this shortfall in actual power produced, solar panels are oversized.

For example, if your appliances need 200W of power, plan for about 200/0.7 = 285W of solar panels to guarantee it.

The amount of energy produced by the panel during the day depends on the daily number of sunshine hours received by the panel.

Energy Produced by a 200 W Solar Panel

A 200W solar panel produces about 200Wh of energy in an hour. The daily energy produced by this panel is 800 Wh calculated from:

the energy produced in an hour x the assumed 4 number of sunshine hours for the location.

Amps Produced by a 200 W Solar Panel

A typical 200W/12V solar panel produces a peak voltage of 21V and a current of 9.52A.

A 200W/12V solar panel has an area of about 1,550-1,650 sq. inches depending on the solar cell efficiency.

The Size of a 200 W Solar Panel

The actual size of a 200W solar panel depends on factors like solar cell efficiency, materials used for manufacture.

For example, a solar panel with 21% efficient solar cells is smaller in footprint compared to that with 17% efficiency.

Some examples of 200W/12V 60 cell solar panel sizes on the market are:

  • 63.8 x 25.9 x 1.4 in
  • 58.7 X 26.8 X 1.4 in

What Can You Power a 200 W Solar Panel With?

A 200W solar panel can be used to charge a battery bank to provide power for small appliances such as:

  • laptops
  • LED lighting
  • cell phones
  • light electronics like radio
  • mini cooler
  • small TV (32 inch), and a mini projector.

The solar panel should be used to charge a battery bank and appliances connected to the battery bank using an inverter or a converter to:

  • Provide safe and stable power for the appliance(s) unlike the power straight from the solar panels that varies with light intensity and temperature.
  • Provide backup power to the appliances during the night when there is no sun.

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