Well that’s clearly nonsense. I think the highest efficiency ever recorded for a solar panel was 2.4% so 95% is definitely not right.
What they probably mean is 95% of the efficiency of a black solar cell. I.e. you don’t lose too much just to keep the HOA happy. Although black slate roof tiles are actually a thing as well.
I did read the article. But I’m talking about just the new information we can gleam from the headline. Because that’s the thing that’s been disingenuous.
The thing is, most people with no technical background will probably get the right meaning from the headline even though it’s phrased wrong. I sure did. Because when you buy solar planes, you usually compare efficiency of different products and placements, not the actual efficiency factor.
We have them in Iceland for multi tenant buildings such as blocks for handling outside repairs etc. Nobody has them for a whole street since with rules on how often the lawn needs to be moved like in the US.
I’m not allowed to replace the roofing on my house with anything other than real slate. So there are some restrictions.
Other people on the street have solar panels though so I’m guessing they’re not too restrictive. The difference being that this is a government restriction rather than some arbitrary requirement from a Karen.
24 to 25% efficiency, based on a quick search. But they are talking a difference in terms and measures. While they may only convert 24%, they still produce 90 to 95% of their stated power output. In short, how fast they can charge a battery vs, how many things can they actively run.
There is 2 things that are measured in efficiency.
The first thing is as you mentioned, how much of the solar energy is absorbed. 100% would mean that all the solar energy on the surface of the cell would be absorbed.
The second thing is how much of the absorbed energy of the solar cell is converted into usable energy.
For a square meter of sun, there is about 1kW of energy, or 1000W.
If the solar panel of one square meter is efficient at 50% to absorb the solar energy, 500W would be available.
Then, if the circuitry is 90% efficient at converting the absorbed energy into usable power, you would get 450W of usable power.
The overall system efficiency is 450W/1000W, or 45%. So 45% of the solar power that hits the solar panel is usable at the output of the whole system.
This is a really watered down version of how things really work, but that should help you navigate this article.
Well that’s clearly nonsense. I think the highest efficiency ever recorded for a solar panel was 2.4% so 95% is definitely not right.
What they probably mean is 95% of the efficiency of a black solar cell. I.e. you don’t lose too much just to keep the HOA happy. Although black slate roof tiles are actually a thing as well.
You mean what is clearly stated in the article?
Dude imagine reading the article before commenting ! Revolutionary ideas <3
The title is ambiguous, though
My initial understanding was 95% of a normal panel. So not that ambiguous
You are above average
I did read the article. But I’m talking about just the new information we can gleam from the headline. Because that’s the thing that’s been disingenuous.
The thing is, most people with no technical background will probably get the right meaning from the headline even though it’s phrased wrong. I sure did. Because when you buy solar planes, you usually compare efficiency of different products and placements, not the actual efficiency factor.
HOA? I don’t think this is such a thing in Europe, at least not in Portugal. wandering if it’s a american defaultism thing
We have them in Iceland for multi tenant buildings such as blocks for handling outside repairs etc. Nobody has them for a whole street since with rules on how often the lawn needs to be moved like in the US.
Though we do have a lot of places everywhere in Europe that restrict how buildings can look, often for tourism reasons.
controlled by the government and local law, not your neighbor
The smaller the community, the smaller the difference. But at least there’s no HOA in addition to that.
I’m not allowed to replace the roofing on my house with anything other than real slate. So there are some restrictions.
Other people on the street have solar panels though so I’m guessing they’re not too restrictive. The difference being that this is a government restriction rather than some arbitrary requirement from a Karen.
24 to 25% efficiency, based on a quick search. But they are talking a difference in terms and measures. While they may only convert 24%, they still produce 90 to 95% of their stated power output. In short, how fast they can charge a battery vs, how many things can they actively run.
You meant 24%? And i have seen news about 32% years ago, although with concentrating lenses as part of the cell.
Looking online I’ve seen claims up to 50% but I’ve also seen lots of discussion online about how those numbers can’t be relied on.
what does it mean actually?
100% would mean it absorbs the sun completely?
There is 2 things that are measured in efficiency.
The first thing is as you mentioned, how much of the solar energy is absorbed. 100% would mean that all the solar energy on the surface of the cell would be absorbed.
The second thing is how much of the absorbed energy of the solar cell is converted into usable energy.
For a square meter of sun, there is about 1kW of energy, or 1000W.
If the solar panel of one square meter is efficient at 50% to absorb the solar energy, 500W would be available.
Then, if the circuitry is 90% efficient at converting the absorbed energy into usable power, you would get 450W of usable power.
The overall system efficiency is 450W/1000W, or 45%. So 45% of the solar power that hits the solar panel is usable at the output of the whole system.
This is a really watered down version of how things really work, but that should help you navigate this article.
i guess, which is why that’s not a thing.
it would have to convert the photon directly into an electron for 100% efficiency;
in other words it would require straight-up magic!