Student Research - Mission Earth
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The Effects of Temperature and Cloud Coverage on Solar kWh Output
Organization(s):Toledo Technology Academy of Engineering
Country:United States of America
Student(s):Isaiah Shields
Gabriel Turner
Grade Level:Secondary School (grades 9-12, ages 14-18)
GLOBE Member(s):Laura Kubiak
Contributors:Laura Kubiak, TTA - Continuous Feedback / Suggestions
Kristina Kania, TTA - Assisted with graphing and analyzing data
Dr. Jon Bossenbroek, University of Toledo - Feedback / Suggestions
Aniyah Woodley, Ohio EPA - Feedback / Suggestions
Juhti Mitra, University of Toledo - Feedback / Suggestions
Ted Richardson, TTA - Feedback / Suggestions
Dave Bydlowski - Feedback / Suggestions
Report Type(s):Virtual Science Symposium Report, Mission Earth Report
Protocols:Air Temperature, Clouds, Surface Temperature, Aerosols
Presentation Poster:
View Document
Language(s):English
Date Submitted:2026-01-29
This study investigates the relationships among air temperature, PM 2.5 concentration, cloud coverage, surface solar irradiance, and the performance of photovoltaic (PV) systems. The team conducted research and collected data for about 6 weeks before they had enough data to make informed observations. They used the APSystems solar website linked to TTAoE’s solar panels to measure the Kwh output of the panels and the solar irradiance at our location at a precise time every day. The AP solar website records the daily energy produced by the solar panels and the measurement of surface irradiance they detect and absorb for energy. The team that measured air quality conditions shared their Purple Air data, given to them from the UT Purple Airlink Sensor. Using this data and physical observations, they can confirm there are clear connections between the solar team's variables and solar irradiance. The research confirms that solar irradiance is the primary driver of PV output, as high values directly correlate to higher energy production. Greater cloud coverage and higher PM 2.5 values correlated strongly with reduced irradiance. Higher air temperatures did not decrease the irradiance value. However, the panels did suffer a small energy conversion loss.