How To Test A Solar Panel

e Marine walks you through testing a solar panel's output to make sure it's performing correctly.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[claudia gamino]

I bought a used suntech 85watt panel. The previous owner did not know how to install and hooked up the panel directly to a 12v battery.

His battry spilled and might of burnt but now the panel does not have

juice. What might be wrong with the panel. I opened the box behind it

and there are two diodes. Did those burn????? What else might the

problem be with the panel??

[Skipper eMarine]

Hi claudiagamino

You shouldn't hook up a solar panel to a battery without a charge controller that protects from overcharge that could damage the battery, which is probably what happened to the previous owner. The diodes in the panel prevent the panel from taking voltage out of the battery. If they were bad there would likely be physical signs. You can test the diodes with a multimeter. If there is no voltage from the solar panel it is likely that there is a bad connection within the panel.