Does Solar Panels Work With Artificial Light

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

Does solar panels work with artificial light. Yes solar panels will work under artificial light but not as efficiently. On cloudy days solar panels absorb not only energy from the light spectrum we can see but also different wavelengths that can pass through thick clouds. The solar panels work best with the sunlight that is why we see panels outside the houses at the top of the roofs inclined at a certain angle with the sun rays. Avoid placing your solar lights near street lights or porch lights.

While i am willing to accept this fact and deal with it i can t help but wond. Can artificial light power a solar panel. For best results place your lights as far away from artificial light as possible when using them in the evenings. One concept that is worth considering regarding this matter between solar panels and artificial light is a fundamental law of physics.

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. Since any form of light is suitable even artificial light would work to some extent solar panels do work on cloudy days albeit not as productively. When solar lights are exposed to high intensity light in the evenings their sensitivity will decrease over time. Solar panels can work with artificial light.

Whenever energy is changed from one form to another what results is a net loss. Because artificial sources of light such as incandescent and fluorescent bulbs mimic the sun s spectrum solar cells can also work indoors powering small devices such as calculators and watches. 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. I ve found that when using solar panels to charge batteries and do other solar panel related projects they work much better with natural sunlight over florescent lights.

The short answer is yes artificial light can power a solar panel.