How much wattage is my panels producing

[UGT]

I have had my back-up system installed on my house in Austin for about a year. Rich Solar 1600 watt 24 volt system with 60 amp controller with (3) LiTime 200A 24v batteries. When my batteries are full my solar controller screen does not show how much solar my panels are producing or are capable of producing during the daylight hours. I would like to have some sort of meter or gauge of sorts that will give me that info. I have the Victron shunt but it also does not show what I want to know.
I have a 12000 btu 110V mini-split that I am running on solar during the day. Including the mini split AC and everything else I am running during the day my inverter indicates that I am using 960 to 1000 watts. My panels when charging the batteries produce about 1500 watts with full sun. I get max from panels about 11 am to 5 pm.
So is there a meter or gauge that can be installed in line that will show output of the panels at all times? I want to know how much wattage I am producing so that if I turn on some load in the house that I am not going to get a draw from my batteries. Just want the sun to do the work. The batteries I want to keep topped off as they are for back up if city of Austin goes dark. Thanks for any input. George in Austin

 

[chrisski]

So is there a meter or gauge that can be installed in line that will show output of the panels at all times?

Never heard of a “potential power switch.”

After a year, how accurate are your guesses when you look out the windo?

 

[Mattb4]

... When my batteries are full my solar controller screen does not show how much solar my panels are producing or are capable of producing during the daylight hours. ...

This is because once your batteries are charged your SCC no longer loads the panels until the DC common bus voltage drops to the begin charging point. Panels do not produce power without load. Some SCC/AIO's will float and not shut off panel production entirely so loads can be picked up on the panels and leave batteries at near full charge.

The only possible meter that would allow you estimate potential production from your panels would be a irradiation meter.

 

[MiSh]

"My panels when charging the batteries produce about 1500 watts with full sun. I get max from panels about 11 am to 5 pm."

You pretty much answered your own question. Then that's when you should run your loads to prevent anything draining your batteries.
If your batteries are full, your pv panels won't do anything unless you are putting a load on the inverter.

 

[Supervstech]

Panels do not produce power. They provide power when it is being drawn.

 

[DougfromdaUP]

How much work do you want to do? You could install a small panel at the same angle as your current array and run the output to a resistor calculated to provide a load near the best power point for the panel. Monitor the current and it will predict quite nicely the potential power of your array.
This is a fun project, and you can see in real time how much better different panel orientations can be in different cloud conditions if you make the panel easily tiltable.

 

[UGT]

I better understand now. Thanks for the replies.