red31 wrote:
I like this answer
Now what do you do with the electron-hole pair:
- You can do nothing: It recombines, emitting infrared (which is absorbed and becomes heat in the panel)
- You can use it to drive an electron through the wiring: Some of the energy goes into the load, some in to the panel resistance, and some into the electron-hole anihalation when a returning electron falls into the hole (across a much lower energy gap).
I do think this is the answer. What energy that goes into the load is subtracted from heating the panel or reflected as infrared into space. From reading this, shorting the panel or having it open circuit would have a similar result as far as the panel heating . The short circuit load would be entirely dissipated through panel resistance-and heating.
Could you point me to more info on the subject?
At this point I'm in the camp as you take useful energy from the panel, it cools (or reflects less infrared) to the degree of energy used. That energy the panel is producing has to come from somewhere. If the panel is exhibiting no changes while being 15% efficient at producing energy, we have a perpetual motion machine.
Guys with a whole roof of panels may be subtracting 1000 watts of heat from the roof area when charging those big batteries. Don't know how it translates in real world (some could be reflected anyway), but in theory..............
