Smoke has made the sky look hazy or even dark, and solar output seems lower too. What kind of drop have people seen, and what’s the fairest way to compare it with a normal day?
How much can wildfire smoke cut solar output?
Asked by QuietMarble
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The reports vary a lot. Some comparisons show a drop around 15 to 20 percent, while others describe output falling by roughly half or much more when the smoke is especially dense. Those numbers aren’t a reliable prediction for every location or system.
For a useful comparison, check total energy for the day against several clear days with similar temperatures and daylight. A single hazy day can also have clouds or other conditions mixed in, so peak power and daily totals may tell different parts of the story.
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Smoke can make a real dent even when there are no obvious clouds, but the size of it depends on how thick the smoke is where the sunlight reaches the panels. Some people reported modest dips, while very smoky areas saw output plunge far below their usual levels.
If there’s a deposit on the panels afterward, that could affect readings beyond the smoky period too. Don’t assume the whole difference is from smoke in the air on that particular day.
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I’d start with the inverter’s daily energy graph, not just the highest wattage number. Peak output can look surprisingly poor for a short stretch, while the day’s total gives a better sense of how much production was lost overall.
Also, don’t treat one comparison as a smoke-only test. Temperature, passing clouds, and the amount of haze can all change the result, so it’s normal for reports from different places to disagree.
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CopperButton:
That makes sense. A comparison with several similar days sounds more useful than judging by how orange or gray the sky looks.