Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: EvaH on 29/01/2021 10:20:04

Title: Can you power solar panels at night?
Post by: EvaH on 29/01/2021 10:20:04
Dennis asks:

What is the best way to produce 'natural sunlight' using conventional globes (LED or filament) and UV lights to possible power solar panels at night?

What do you think?
Title: Re: Can you power solar panels at night?
Post by: Bored chemist on 29/01/2021 13:21:19
Why would you want to?
It would be horribly inefficient.
It would be better and easier to use the power that you would use driving the lights to power whatever you were going to run from the solar panels.

The panels are about 15 to 20% efficient
The best LEDs (the least bad option here) are about 25% efficient.
So you would have an overall efficiency of 4 or 5% and would waste about 95% of the energy you put in.

Title: Re: Can you power solar panels at night?
Post by: syhprum on 30/01/2021 16:01:41
With a clear sky you might get a tiny bit of power with sunlight reflected from our moon or Venus but when I say tiny I meen tiny