Does solar panel effectiveness change on heat/ambient temperature?
By Safwat Islam
Why choose this
Optimizing solar panel performance for specific light and heat conditions will encourage wider adoption and maximize the effectiveness of existing installations. Since solar energy is a reliable and efficient source, understanding ideal operating conditions will make it a more attractive option, especially in regions with favorable climates. This, in turn, will contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions and a cleaner energy future.
About Solar panels and Heat
Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity by using the sun's energy to free electrons in semiconductor materials, like silicon. This process is more effective within a specific temperature range. High temperatures can negatively impact solar panel performance in a few ways. Increased heat leads more electrical resistance in the semiconductor, causing more energy to be lost as heat rather than converted to electricity. Also, prolonged exposure to high temperatures can accelerate the breakdown of the panel's components, reducing its overall lifespan and effectiveness. Cooler temperatures, on the other hand, help maintain optimal efficiency by reducing the amount of energy lost as heat.
Hypothesis and Variables
Hypothesis
Positive: Cold will help the solar panel be more effective
Negative: cold will worsen solar panel effectiveness
Null: Heat or Cold doesn’t affect solar panel effectiveness
Variables
Static: The solar panel and light source
Changing: The heat at which we set the Solar panel
Responding: The voltage of the solar panel
I think colder temperatures will increase effectiveness and heat the opposite because heat excites electrons and cold the opposite.
Materials & Procedure
Procedure:
Heat/cool the solar panel
Put solar panel in light source
Measure temperature and voltage
Repeat with a different temperature
Materials
light source, the sun
cold source environment,
solar panel,
voltage measurer,
Thermometer.
Data
Heat (Celcius) | Voltage mv (Millivolts) |
-20 | 0.5 |
-11 | 0.3 |
-17 | 0.5 |
-17 | 0.9 |
-11 | 0.4 |
-20 | 0.4 |
-21 | 0.9 |
-21 | 1.8 |
-20 | 0.3 |
-18 | 0.8 |
Data continued
Heat (Celcius) | Voltage (Millivolts) |
-18 | 0.5 |
-18 | 0.4 |
-18 | 1.5 |
-20 | 0.9 |
-22 | 0.3 |
Results analysis
Even though this information is taken in all negative temperatures taken in winter and not the ideal spread from positive and negative. An interesting trend in the data visible from -22 to -18. That shows that when temperatures increase so does the voltage. If this experiment was done throughout summer and winter it could have further proved this.
Results comparison
In contrast this paper shows that with an extreme increase in temperature. The efficiency of a solar panel can decrease. This proves that the idea of “more heat is more effective” isn't always true.
Conclusion
The purpose of this experiment was to see which temperatures solar panels work best in. Based on data lower temperatures give a lower voltage than a hotter temperature. This means my hypothesis was wrong as I hypothesized that lower temperatures would give better voltage than hotter ones. Factors that changed the results were: the climate as these are winter results, which would be different from summer results because of the climate. Another thing that would affect the results was the amount of intensity the solar panel got from the sun as that would allow for more electrons to move. The results other got were that solar cell efficiency decreased as solar panel heat increased/ solar radiation. Currently the maximum efficiency is 44% with Multi-junction solar cells.Scientists are in the pursuit of a superconductor, a material with no electrical resistance. In order to boost the efficiency of solar panels. With the information in this project it will boost the productivity further.
Bibliography