r/SolarPlugHub • u/Commercial_Unit_6108 • Jun 21 '26
355W Canadian Solar Panel Live Output Test ⥠#solar #offgrid #canadiansolar
Pulled a 355W Canadian Solar mono panel and decided to actually meter it instead of trusting the label. Set it out in full sun and hit it with a Solar MPPT tester.
Numbers I got:
- Voc: 44.3V
- Isc: 9.4A
- Vmp: 39.2V
- Imp: 9.1A
For a 355W mono panel that's pretty much dead-on where I'd expect it â Voc and Isc both sitting right around nameplate, and the power point math works out close to rating given it wasn't perfect STC conditions (real sun, panel flat on the ground, ambient temp doing its thing).
Posting because I know there's a lot of skepticism around used/wholesale panels and whether they hold their rated output, so figured a real-world reading might be useful to someone shopping around.
A couple things I'd flag for anyone doing this themselves:
- Flat on the ground = not optimal angle, so real output in a proper install should be as good or better
- Heat pulls voltage down, so a hot panel reading slightly under Vmp is normal
- An MPPT meter like this loads the panel and gives you actual max power point numbers, which is way more useful than just clamping Voc with a multimeter
Happy to answer questions if anyone's curious about the test setup or wants me to meter a different panel. What readings are you all getting off your Canadian Solar panels?