This paper presents results of experimental investigations on a field of 8 photovoltaic panels assembled 2 in series and 4 such parallel combinations. The diurnal and environmental effects have been characterized systematically. The usage conditions are clean and dusty states of panels, the centers of each series combinations shorted and unshorted. It is observed that the curvature at the maximum power point of the I-V curve could be an indicator of the panel characteristics. The temperature effects on the voltage at the maximum power point are also discussed. It is brought out that field evaluation is essential and often maximum power point tracking can be dispensed if a known load exists and a judicious choice of battery bank capacity is made.