One may be tempted to assume that once rain falls, everything that relates to electricity shuts down. It is no fault of ours because our utility companies tend to promote the belief by interrupting the power supply when it is about to/ or already raining.
In this present time, given the shift towards eco-sustainability and green energy, more persons are embracing renewable energy through installing solar panels in their homes and offices.
What happens to solar panels when it rains?
Solar panels generate power through direct and indirect sunlight. However, it is most effective in direct sunlight, and it does not cease to produce energy when it rains or when the atmosphere is gloomy. The Ultraviolet rays of sunlight get through the cloud, and the photovoltaic panels convert the suns’ rays into electricity (learn more).
Interestingly, heat does not affect electricity production; rather, the photons in natural daylight are converted by solar panels that generate electricity. Modern solar panels now include concentrators that utilise lenses and mirrors to maximise any light that reaches the cell, but the efficiency is higher in clear weather.
In practical terms, imagine covering yourself with a thick piece of fabric, and someone enters the room with a torchlight; some traces of the light penetrates the fabric. This explains what happens when there is a gloomy atmosphere. All in all, the saying that gloomy weather doesn’t allow solar panels to function is only a myth; because although you will not see the sun these days, light still penetrates through the cloud, even if it is little.