Do Fluorescent Lights Charge Solar Panels

Solar cells generally work well with natural sunlight as most uses for solar powered devices are outdoors or in space.

Do fluorescent lights charge solar panels.

It is true that solar panels need light before they can charge but as you might have guessed it is not necessary for the light to be from the sun. That light can charge solar lights and solar panels because the solar cells are extremely sensitive to light. The design of the solar panel receptor is in such a way that they can detect even the slightest wavelength of light. You can charge a solar panel with a light bulb yes.

It will also take much longer to charge a solar panel with a light bulb than with natural sunlight. Solar panels are truly amazing things they will turn almost any reasonable light in to electricity depending on how intense the light as to how much electricity they produce. Let s analyze some of these facts in order to give you a good reference of the impact of artificial light on solar power performance. Even on a cloudy day the rays of the sun penetrate the clouds and illuminate the earth casting light.

The energy output of the solar panel will also vary depending on the type of bulb the type of light warm or cold intensity and the wavelength of the artificial light. Fluorescent lights are built and tuned to have almost entirely visible light output any energy that goes into radiation you can t see is effectively wasted. Depending on the wattage the number of bulbs and distance the solar panel is from the light source will determine how strong a charge the solar panel receives and how much wattage the solar panel will then be able to produce for powering other objects. The short answer is yes artificial light can power a solar panel.

Charge your solar panels for at least 10 12 hours if you re using an led light to do so. But under fluorescent or mercury vapour street lights they will not i repeat not produce enough current to charge batteries light up lights or anything else. Charge with indirect sunlight. This is the best way to charge solar lights when you don t have access to indoor lighting such as when you re camping.

The energy available to be converted by photovoltaic cells is dependent on the spectrum. Although charging won t be as fast or efficient as on a sunny day solar lights will still be able to harvest energy from the light of the sun. However it s relatively inefficient and counter intuitive.