Is heat good or bad for your solar panel system?

by Phоtоn Energysolutions Premium Quality Solar Panels in Harden, NSW

PV system or photovoltaic system is installed on the rooftop where the maximum amount of heat is available and needless to say it converts solar energy into electrical energy. Therefore it uses the sun's heat. So it's natural to assume that heat is good for the working of solar panels. But on the contrary, too much heat hinders it's performance and thereby decreasing its efficiency. Amazed !? But yes, this is true.

How does heat affect the working of the solar panel system?

Solar panels make use of semiconductors. Semiconductors are the materials which are neither good conductors of heat and electricity nor bad, they are somewhere in between. For example Gallium. In semiconductors, the photons coming from the solar light are used to excite the electrons which in turn generates a voltage difference. This voltage difference is used to generate electricity. So, initially high temperature is good for increasing the efficiency of the solar panel system but persistent increasing temperature causes most of the electrons to reach in their excitatory state, so there would be a decrease in the number of non-excited electrons, as a result, the voltage difference will fall down and hence the electric current. Also with increasing temperature, the resistance of the material is increased, so it leads to a fall in the production of electric current considerably. Even the fall is so accurate that one can estimate the temperature by it. On average, at 25° C, solar panels work the most efficiently. This is the temperature where the solar panels give their best efficiency. Any rise in the temperature above it will cause a reduction in the efficiency by 10-25%. Such a huge difference only because of heat.

What can we do to prevent this loss?

· The solar panels should be installed at a considerable amount of height that is few inches above the rooftop to avoid the heat damage as cool wind will blow to neutralize the effect.

· The panels should be made up of light color material so that they absorb the least amount of heat.

· Some parts of the system like the inverter can be placed in the shaded area to avoid heat damage.

· Regular cleaning up of the solar panel system.

· The panels should be made up of thin films to avoid heat absorption. The panels are made up of monocrystalline and polycrystalline PV panels. The thin film's panel is advantageous over these panels.

· One should install the right solar panel system for their homes and in accordance with the climate that is maintained throughout the year.

· Before installing these, one should know about the temperature coefficient of the solar panel system. This will prevent them from damaging the panels due to the excessive amount of heat.

Hence, one can't prevent damage due to heat loss but can definitely lower it down by using certain precautionary measures.