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Q&A How to check realistic specs of small solar panel?

I have a small solar panel rated for 6V/DC, 150mA. I know that those specs are under ideal circumstances, and I would like to do some measurements in different weather conditions to see what I can ...

3 answers  ·  posted 1y ago by Keelan‭  ·  last activity 1y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

#1: Initial revision by user avatar Keelan‭ · 2022-12-27T16:44:12Z (over 1 year ago)
How to check realistic specs of small solar panel?
I have a small solar panel rated for 6V/DC, 150mA. I know that those specs are under ideal circumstances, and I would like to do some measurements in different weather conditions to see what I can expect.

To measure voltage I can of course use a multimeter. For current, I think I know what to do, but I just wanted to check. Can I simply make a circuit like below to draw a variable current, and adjust the potentiometer to find the maximum current that can be drawn before the voltage drops significantly? Or is there a better or simpler way?

![Circuit of a DC voltage source with a 22 Ohm constant resistor and 100 Ohm potentiometer in series.](https://electrical.codidact.com/uploads/vmqleh0pjdjlvsbl44sqzc8nh99l)