So..
Solar Car A is black, Solar Car B is white.
Because the color black absorbs sunlight, will solar car A’s solar panel capture more solar energy because the solar car’s body attracts more light rays
or does the color not matter?
So..
Solar Car A is black, Solar Car B is white.
Because the color black absorbs sunlight, will solar car A’s solar panel capture more solar energy because the solar car’s body attracts more light rays
or does the color not matter?
Actually the white car would probably do better since Photo Voltaic panels loose efficiency when they heat up. This is why you don’t see them laying directly on a roof if they are installed properly.They install on a rack that is designed to offset the panel 4 inches minimum. this allows air to flow below the panel and pulls the heat away.that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
the black car will send back more energy to the universe due to black body radiation
The black car will absorb more energy than the white car…..the solar panels will capture the same amount of energy.
The black car will heat up, so more thermal energy…but the solar panels don’t collect thermal energy.
I think that would depend on what material the car is made from.
The color of the CAR is irrelevant. The useful energy capture is done by the solar panels. In addition, the capture is not of heat: it is of radiation of the correct frequency that can be converted into electrical energy.
yes
Yes it does. Black has the lowest albedo of any color. Lighter colors have higher albedoes which make them reflect more UV rays. The trick is to absorb sunlight. That’s why you never see any white solar photovoltaics period. pretty cool right.
are we talking about the car?
or the solar panels?
clearly, what color the car, other than the solar panels, is, does not matter.
the color of the solar panels is probably determined by what they are made of.
painting them, thus excluding light, is not likely to improve their performance.
black cars do tend to be hotter.
in warm climates, most people like to turn on the a/c.
that would sop up all the energy created by a solar panel.
look at what solar cars really look like.
http://www.winstonsolar.org/challenge/
there’s only space for 1 small person.
they only run a few hours a day.
they don’t go anywhere in the rain.
the problem that exists is that the amount of solar energy falling on the footprint of a car is really too small to provide the 40-80-160 hp that most folks seem to like.
they’re just not going to be useful in the foreseeable future.