While extreme heat can reduce a solar panel’s efficiency, they continue to function effectively, even in high temperatures. In the UK, around 40% of a solar panel system's energy is generated in the summer, showing its strong performance in warmer months.
When a solar panel is hot, the difference between the rest state and the excited energy state is smaller, so less energy is created. The opposite happens when a solar panel is cooler. Inside a cool solar cell, the electrons are still getting excited by the sunlight and they’re easily able to move up to the higher level of energy.
Even if the summer temperatures were to creep towards boiling point, the reduction in power output would be only around 20% (assuming other conditions remain constant), according to Solar Energy UK. Solar panels become slightly less efficient with every degree they heat up beyond 25°C.
Heat can “severely reduce” the ability of solar panels to produce power, according to CED Greentech, a solar equipment supplier in the United States. Depending on where they’re installed, hot temperatures can reduce the output efficiency of solar panels by 10%-25%, the company says.
Although solar panels absorb energy from the sun, hotter temperatures actually make them less efficient. Asked by: Liam Farmer, Birmingham Surprisingly, they perform worse as the temperature rises! Solar panels work by using incoming photons to excite electrons in a semiconductor to a higher energy level.
Ways to reduce the impact of hot weather include mounting solar panels a few inches above the roof, explains CED Greentech. This allows airflow to cool the panels. Using solar panels that are built with light-coloured, reflective material can also reduce the amount of heat they absorb.
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