Do Solar Panels Work on Cloudy Days?

Solar energy is in great quantity on earth. And experts believe that using solar energy will play an integral role in solving the world’s energy problems. One of the best options is to store solar energy through solar panels.

Solar panels store a fraction of the 173,000 terawatts of solar energy that sun delivers. That’s about 10,000 times more than the total energy used in the world! Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels produce the most energy per square meter when they receive direct sunlight.

But what happens when it’s cloudy?

Depending on the cloud formation, not all light is blocked from entering the earth’s surface. Though sunlight is important in solar panel output levels, other important factor is radiation. Solar radiation is the key source of solar panels that is used to convert to electricity, and will still cut through cloud layers. Solar cells are made to capture a broad range of the solar light and will continue to translate the sun’s energy into electricity during cloudy days. When clouds block the sunlight, the solar panels will still produce clean electricity. This is true even in the wintertime.

Read More: How do solar panels work?

Solar panels harness both visible light and infrared light in order to create usable electricity:

During the greyest days, visible light still gets through rain and clouds. Since, sky isn’t completely black—it’s just several shades darker, infrared light gets through easily because it has longer wavelengths than the visible spectrum does. Therefore, we see distant galaxies using infrared telescopes, despite all of the interstellar dust spanning the many light-years in between.

Could adverse weather conditions damage solar panels?

Panels withstand virtually anything that weather throw at them. So, wind, rain and even hail are unlikely to cause any damage. Extremely large hailstones may cause damage, but these are rare and are just as likely to damage your roof.

Read More: 8 of the most commonly asked questions on solar energy

What happens to solar panels when it’s raining?

How about solar panels performance in rainy days? The one big difference is that rain is actually beneficial for your energy output! It washes and cleans the dust, pollen and leaves off your panels. This helps in improving efficiency when the sun shines again. Clean panels turn out the most electricity!

Although solar panel systems do not work for every household, those with unshaded rooftops can benefit greatly from a solar energy system. Not only you can produce sufficient electricity to power your own home, you can also sell electricity back to the grid.

For more details:

https://www.reonenergy.com