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Colored solar panels that mimic tiles roof hit 95% efficiency compared to regular solar tiles
(interestingengineering.com)
this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2026
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But why? It's not about heat absorbtion but photon collection
I'm no solar panel expert, just using common sense. If it is not heat conversion then I'm whistling in the wind. Black absorbs more heat, more quickly, but if it is not about heat, just light, then ignore this.
Check out why Einstein got his Nobel Price. That's the fundamental mechanism behind solar panels. It has nothing to do with the absorbtion of heat. If you use solar to heat water, that's a different type of solar collector
Energy at certain wavelengths hits the solar cell and migrates electrons in a flat plane. Thin wires grab those electrons to make current. Heat actually reduces the efficiency.
There are even mechanisms to have water drip on the panels to cool them.
Solar panels that absord heat exist, those panels are used to heat water. For PV you want to capture photons that kick electrons from the valence band into the conduction band of the material to get an electric current. Basically the inverse of an LED, you turn light directly into electricity. Any heat here is wasted energy. The PV cells are optimised for specific frequency bands and in those bands they don't reflect well. If you want to capture visible light the panels are appearing relatively dark.
Actually, photovoltaic solar panels work more efficiently when cold, heat makes them less efficient. I've read.