It will depend on the panels, usually the Pmax is around 40C and drops by about 1% efficiency per degree C above that and a different % per degree colder.
seems like you'd be better off slapping them on a pressure chamber filled with water/coolant and using that to run a steam turbine rather than just putting huge fields of them out...
Course, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about, so take me with a grain of salt, lol.
That's essentially the solar collector systems, where, instead of panels they reflect all the solar energy into a single point to super-heat a tank of some type of salt, the molten salt then flows to boil water.
You may not 'know what you're talking about,' but this is a pretty good example of intuitive/creative thinking.
40C oh boy. That is not a high temperature at all for electronics, and would be a normal temperature in most places where solar would have its best effect, especially when you consider the thermal radiation hitting it all day.
Especially when you factor in that roofs are the most common install area which will be sitting 10-20 degrees hotter than the ground level. Or if in a field, the color of the panels is that dark material which will absorb heat to a similar extent.
I've seen systems like those water cooled heat sinks for PCs tied to the panels to keep them at a good temperature while pre-heating water going to hot water tanks.
But yes, the constraints on solar are far more than is brought up in the sales pitch.... sorry, got me thinking of Cernovich once pushing solar panel installations as a good career and got mad at me for bringing up that, in most cases, is a losing proposition that is akin to 'pre-paying' for electricity and that personal integrity should get in the way of that choice as a career path.
I feel like if you have to water cool a solar panel you are expending a lot of electricity on pumps and a lot of money on maintaining those pumps at scale.
Didn't even consider darker colors and the heat rising angle either.
It will depend on the panels, usually the Pmax is around 40C and drops by about 1% efficiency per degree C above that and a different % per degree colder.
seems like you'd be better off slapping them on a pressure chamber filled with water/coolant and using that to run a steam turbine rather than just putting huge fields of them out...
Course, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about, so take me with a grain of salt, lol.
Honestly, that's not in the worst thinking.
That's essentially the solar collector systems, where, instead of panels they reflect all the solar energy into a single point to super-heat a tank of some type of salt, the molten salt then flows to boil water.
You may not 'know what you're talking about,' but this is a pretty good example of intuitive/creative thinking.
honestly, i was just thinking you'd use the waste heat from the panels, getting the best of both worlds
I do know they use boilers for some solar setups, I just didn't know molten salt was involved, lol
40C oh boy. That is not a high temperature at all for electronics, and would be a normal temperature in most places where solar would have its best effect, especially when you consider the thermal radiation hitting it all day.
Especially when you factor in that roofs are the most common install area which will be sitting 10-20 degrees hotter than the ground level. Or if in a field, the color of the panels is that dark material which will absorb heat to a similar extent.
I've seen systems like those water cooled heat sinks for PCs tied to the panels to keep them at a good temperature while pre-heating water going to hot water tanks.
But yes, the constraints on solar are far more than is brought up in the sales pitch.... sorry, got me thinking of Cernovich once pushing solar panel installations as a good career and got mad at me for bringing up that, in most cases, is a losing proposition that is akin to 'pre-paying' for electricity and that personal integrity should get in the way of that choice as a career path.
I feel like if you have to water cool a solar panel you are expending a lot of electricity on pumps and a lot of money on maintaining those pumps at scale.
Didn't even consider darker colors and the heat rising angle either.
Yikes.