Solar Panel Absorption Spectrum

The tinted solar panels absorb blue and green wavelengths to generate electricity.

Solar panel absorption spectrum.

Solar cell efficiency refers to the portion of energy in the form of sunlight that can be converted via photovoltaics into electricity by the solar cell. Where commercial solar pv panels have an efficiency in 2017 of 15 17. Grey to dark grey. At long wavelengths the response fall back to zero.

The cell has silicon mixed with two. The key to creating a material that would be ideal for converting solar energy to heat is tuning the material s spectrum of absorption just right. The spectrum of nearly all solar electromagnetic radiation striking the earth s atmosphere spans a range of 100 nm to about 1 mm 1 000 000 nm. The silicon atoms in a photovoltaic cell absorb energy from light wavelengths that roughly correspond to the visible spectrum.

Absorb factor fraction of incident radiation absorbed. At short wavelengths below 400 nm the glass absorbs most of the light and the cell response is very low. Orange and red wavelengths pass through allowing plants underneath to grow. The solar spectrum originates from plasma in a variety of regimes.

Citation needed this band of significant radiation power can be divided into five regions in increasing order of wavelengths. The spectral response of a silicon solar cell under glass. Based on more than a century of research using data such as these fig. Green red and brown.

At intermediate wavelengths the cell approaches the ideal. Approximated white smooth surfaces. The efficiency of the solar cells used in a photovoltaic system in combination with latitude and climate determines the annual energy output of the system for example a solar panel with 20 efficiency and an area of 1 m 2 will produce 200. A low resolution uv spectrum showing emission and absorption lines and various continua is shown in fig.

It should absorb virtually all wavelengths of light that reach earth s surface from the sun but not much of the rest of the spectrum since that would increase the energy that is reradiated by the material and thus lost to the conversion process. Cell use of light energy. Solar energy absorbed depends on surface color. Ultraviolet c or uvc range which spans a range of 100 to 280 nm.

The theoretical power efficiency would therefore be.