How to monitor your photovoltaic production: the complete guide to optimizing your solar installation
Follow your photovoltaic power generation is essential for understanding the actual performance of your solar installation and getting the best possible return on your investment. Thanks to modern monitoring tools, it is now easy to check your local production, identify anomalies, and increase its solar energy savingsIn this article, we provide step-by-step guidance on how to monitor, analyze, and optimize your photovoltaic production on a daily basis.
1. Why monitor your photovoltaic production?
Monitor your photovoltaic power generation provides a clear overview of the amount of energy produced and consumed by your home. This helps you to:
- Identify times of high solar production.
- Adjust your habits to consume at the right time.
- Quickly detect any drop in performance.
- Improve the profitability of your solar investment.
In other words, monitoring production is the key to maximize solar energy savings.
2. The various tools for monitoring your solar production
a. Connected meters and inverters
Modern inverters often include a real-time monitoring system via a mobile app or web portal. These tools show you the instantaneous power, total production, and sometimes domestic consumption.
b. Energy monitoring applications
Applications such as Enphase Enlighten, SolarEdge ou encore MySolarEdge allow you to view your data from your smartphone. They offer graphs, alerts in case of performance drops, and tips for optimizing your local production.
c. Smart home automation systems
Some home automation systems go even further: they analyze the weather, anticipate production, and adjust your appliances (water heaters, air conditioning, etc.) to consume energy when your production is at its peak.
3. How to interpret your production data?
a. Understanding key indicators
- Instantaneous power (W) : energy produced at a given moment T.
- Daily production (kWh/day) : amount of electricity generated each day.
- Overall return (%) : measurement of the actual performance of your panels.
b. Compare your data over time
Regular monitoring allows you to detect drops in production, often linked to fouling, shading, or equipment failure. Comparing your data from one season to the next also helps you better understand the potential of your local production depending on weather conditions.
💡 PLEASE NOTE
We have provided you with an article on Solar self-consumption in Europe: How to reduce your electricity bill . Don't hesitate to check it out here



