Do Solar Panels For Home Work in Cloudy Weather?
dzone.com/articles/do-solar-panels-for-home-work-in-cloudy-weather


Feb.
Most of the people who are new to the world of solar energy or are still in the planning phase to get solar panels for home have doubt in their minds about the functionality of their solar panels when the weather is a bit cloudy. The question of whether a solar panel is able to generate adequate energy during cloudy days or maybe on rainy days has occurred to everybody’s mind at least once. The thought is backed by the notion that solar panels require sunlight to function. However, it is also a fact that the solar panels won’t stop working even on cloudy days. Though the amount of energy generation might be lesser on some days, this also depends on the efficiency, quality, and types of solar panels that you have chosen. In this article, we will see how a cloudy day affects your solar power generation.
What impact does a cloudy day have on the productivity of a solar panel?
Well, the answer to this question depends on many factors like the quality of the solar panel you have installed, the type of weather, the density of clouds, etc. However, there are some solar panels that are designed to work efficiently in reflected and diffused light. These solar panels are capable of capturing a wide range of solar spectra like the blue and red wavelengths, thereby helping them generate more output even on cloudy days.
Only if the density of the clouds is so high that it completely covers the sky by blocking the sun's rays there can be a little bit of interruption in the functioning of a solar panel. You may have come across times when you get sunburnt even on a cloudy day, the same happens with solar panels. This is because solar radiation doesn’t stop penetrating the cloud even on cloudy or partly cloudy days.
What is it in the sun that a panel uses in generating energy?
For solar energy generation, the component that is vital to a panel manufactured by the best solar company in Gurgaon is not the sunlight but the daylight. Photovoltaic panels use direct or indirect sunlight to generate energy. To make a solar panel, multiple small units called solar cells are combined. Each cell absorbs photons and then converts them into electric energy. This power is known as photovoltaic energy which is transformed into light electricity. In the further steps, this energy is transmitted to the solar inverter and gets modified into electric current to run most of the electrical appliances. The power that each of your working appliances absorbs does not only come from visible light rays. It also comes from wavelengths that can penetrate even clouds. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about energy generation by your solar panels in cloudy weather.
How can you cope with the occasional drop in solar energy production?
When compared to regular sunny days, solar energy production can lose up to 25% of its efficiency. Solar panels will not perform at peak efficiency as they do on other sunny days, but clouds will not affect the panels as much as you might think. The best storage solar products in India like solar inverters or smart meters can help you offset the losses on a cloudy day. You can always rely on them to keep your solar system ready for the weather.
What do we conclude?
Your decision of investing in solar panels for home must not be blinded by the matter of cloudy weather. After the above information, you must be clear that there might be an occasional drop in productivity that will exist for a short period of time, but your solar energy generation will never stop. Choosing solar panels from the best solar company in Gurgaon will further make it easier for you.
Types
Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.
Blocking (computing) Clear (Unix) Cloud Convert (command) Efficiency (statistics) Electric (software) Light (web browser) Production (computer science) Data