Cost Breakdown of Solar Panels by House Size

Solar Panels

Efficiency
See also: Solar cell efficiency

Reported timeline of champion solar module energy conversion efficiencies since 1988 (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)[36]
Each module is rated by its DC output power under standard test conditions (STC) and hence the on field output power might vary. Power typically ranges from 100 to 365 Watts (W). The efficiency of a module determines the area of a module given the same rated output – an 8% efficient 230 W module will have twice the area of a 16% efficient 230 W module. Some commercially available solar modules exceed 24% efficiency.[37][38] Currently,[needs update] the best achieved sunlight conversion rate (solar module efficiency) is around 21.5% in new commercial products[39] typically lower than the efficiencies of their cells in isolation. The most efficient mass-produced solar modules have power density values of up to 175 W/m2 (16.22 W/ft2).[40]