Efficiency Of Solar Panels In Space

Answered april 14 2014 author has 327 answers and 704 8k answer views.

Efficiency of solar panels in space.

The average efficiency of solar panels falls between the 17 to 19 percent efficiency range. Solar panels will experience efficiency degradation over time as a result of these types of radiation but the degradation rate will depend strongly on the solar cell technology and on the location of the spacecraft. Factors that affect solar panel efficiency solar panels have been consistently increasing in efficiency at about 5 annually since 2010. Solar panel placed on equator receives about 2 4 mwh m and placed in germany about 1 mwh m.

Solar panel in orbit receives about 12 mwh m of energy per year. The more efficient a panel is the less space it will take up on your roof. So if efficiency is a good thing that must mean that you should shop for the highest efficiency panels you can get right. Scientists are testing a new durable recyclable and efficient material that could soon power habitats on the moon.

So solar panels in space are at least 5 times more efficient than on the ground. Space based solar power sbsp is the concept of collecting solar power in outer space and distributing it to earth potential advantages of collecting solar energy in space include a higher collection rate and a longer collection period due to the lack of a diffusing atmosphere and the possibility of placing a solar collector in an orbiting location where there is no night. These panels convert solar power into either a microwave or a laser and beam uninterrupted power down to earth. Taken together they are the largest representation of solar in space occupying enough area to cover most of a football field.

However choosing a more efficient solar panel may not always be the most cost effective decision available. A high efficiency panel turns more sunlight into electricity than a lower efficiency panel which means a solar homeowner can get more out of their limited rooftop space. The highest efficiency solar panels on the market today can reach almost 23 percent efficiency. With borosilicate glass panel coverings this may be between 5 10 efficiency loss per year.

On earth power receiving stations collect the beam and add it to the electric grid. As a runner up multi junction cells made of gallium arsenide and similar materials resist degradation better than silicon and are the most efficient cells currently made with energy conversion efficiencies up to 34. In practical terms for two solar panels of the same physical size if one has a 21 efficiency rating and the other has a 14 efficiency rating the 21 efficient panel will produce 50 more kilowatt hours kwh of electricity under the same conditions as the 14 efficient panel. Solar panel efficiency is determined by the production of electricity by solar cells which are in turn influenced by composition electrical configuration surrounding components and more.

Efficiency in solar panels is simply the measurement of energy output in a given surface area.