Solar charging through cover?

Vintage465 wrote:
So I put an Element cover on my trailer now to try and keep the graphics fresh and just general preservation. Thing is, my solar still charges through the cover! I'm sure I'm still protecting my rig to some extent from U.V.'s but really, how much can it if it's charging my panel/battery?
Thoughts?

What our eyes see is not necessarily what other semiconductor devices can see or are sensitive to.

most solar panels are sensitive from the high end of UV to the low end of IR. that is, the "visible" spectrum for humans along with some wavelengths on either side.



It turns out the cover is likely transparent to some wavelengths of light that an eye is not and not completely opaque to the visible spectrum. Hence usually you will get some charging. Panels are sensitive from the UV through visible to low end of IR wavelengths. More than likely the cover is a good filter of UV and of course visible wavelengths, but not IR.

Ever notice how your IR remote control seems to work with the black plastic panels on audio video devices?? The reason is that most plastics, even dark black are almost completely transparent to IR wavelengths.

To the sensor it is like there is a almost nothing in front of it.