Can Solar Panels Work Without Direct Sunlight?
Another myth of solar power is that panels cannot operate unless the sun is raging in the sky. Most house owners believe that there is no use of solar systems during cloudy or rainy seasons. Reality has it quite on the contrary modern solar technology is meant to capture even diffused sunlight effectively. This knowledge is used to understand how this can be done in order to have realistic expectations of performance in various seasons and regions.
1. The Mechanism of Solar Panels Working
Solar panels operate on photovoltaic (PV) principle where silicon-based cells transform sunlight to electricity. Light intensity is of significance, not the temperature and visible brightness.
The sunlight can even when the skies are cloudy get into the atmosphere and is diffused through the air and thus the PV cells can work to produce electricity albeit with a lower rate.
Even on very cloudy days most systems still work at 60-80 percent of their normal efficiency, depending upon the thickness of the clouds. This is the reason why solar plants in such cities as Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kochi keep on generating utilizable power even in the monsoon months.
2. Light Matter, Diffused and Reflected
Light does not need to strike your panels in order to be of use. In case sunlight goes through clouds or dust found in the atmosphere, it is scattered in various directions this is referred to as diffused radiation. Panels are also formed to absorb this scattered light.
Solar panels are still able to gain large portions of light energy in areas that are humid or cloudy. Interestingly, in cooler or snowy climates, reflective surfaces such as snow, sand or light-colored roofs can reflect the sunlight back onto panels, and can sometimes better the overall yield by a few percentage points.
This implies that the output of your solar investment will be achieved not only in summer, but all year round.
3. The Role of Quality and Type of Panel
Solar panels are not as effective when there is low light. The monocrystalline panels are also more efficient than poly crystalline panels because in monocrystalline the crystal structure is uniform and can absorb more light.
In order to perform optimally by having an overcast or shaded weather, the panels should have PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell) or half cut cell technology. These types of designs can receive a wider scope of light and thus they are more effective during early mornings, late nights or even during cloudy days.
An efficient MPPT (Maximum power point tracking) inverter also makes sure that a change in the light intensity does not make the system less efficient by creating a voltage fluctuation.
4. Weather, Region and Annual Output
Even in states where there are long monsoon seasons, India is receiving an average of 250-300 sunny days per year. Although during cloudy weeks energy production may come to a temporary halt, the output per annum is good enough to render solar power economical over the entire length and breadth of Rajasthan to Kerala.
Installers will determine the yearly energy output (AEP) of your energy system using local solar radiation data so that when it happens to be a gray day, the savings estimates have already taken that into account. Therefore, quoted figures of anticipated output are already seasonally adjusted.
5. Storage and Grid Integration
The advanced solar systems do not allow weather interrupts on your daily power requirements. Hybrid and grid-tied systems balance between the solar power, battery power and the grid power automatically.
With battery storage, any surplus of generated power on a sunny day is saved to be used during the weak sunlight days. When you are hooked to the grid, then your system just draws small portions of electricity through it when required. This would allow your business or home to have a smooth transition hence there is no downtime even during the long rainy seasons.
Conclusion
The solar panels do not require direct sunshine to operate, they only require daylight. Intelligent inverter technologies and the increased efficiency of panels even on cloudy and hazy days provide sufficient power during rainy days, although those days are the most powerful. You can get all-year-round power and consistent savings with or without the sun, whether it is a sunny desert or a monsoon-prone coastal region, a well-designed solar system can do the trick.
