next new ?, how to measure pv watt output

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kennedy759
kennedy759 Registered Users Posts: 10 ✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
how do you measure the watt out put of my pv system. I know the volts from the charger controller, how can I measure the watt output, is there a meter I can buy? I want to test it at different angles and time of day.
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  • gww1
    gww1 Solar Expert Posts: 963 ✭✭
    #2
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    Re: next new ?, how to measure pv watt output

    If the charge controller also says the amps you can just times the amp buy the volts and that will equal watts. If it is on your habor freite you could use a cheap meter and unhook your leads from the battery and just short curcuit check the amps. If it is for something bigger you may want to get a dc clamp meter. I bought one from sears.
    gww
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  • Plowman
    Plowman Solar Expert Posts: 203 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Re: next new ?, how to measure pv watt output

    A clamp meter would work. Multiply amps x volts to get Watts. I usually don't bother with Watts myself, amps and voltage is all I need.
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