Why are most solar panels black?
Solar energy has become one of the renewable energy sources most popular around the world. Photovoltaic panels are one of the most common ways to capture and convert solar energy into electricity. They are increasingly being used to power homes, businesses, and even entire cities. If you've ever seen solar panels, you've probably noticed that they are mostly black in color.
But Why are most solar panels black ? In this article, we will explore the reasons why black is the most popular color. 🧐
The nature of the material
The color of solar panels comes from the material they are made of: silicon in the form monocrystalline and polycrystalline .
Solar panels made from cells Monocrystalline appear completely black. While solar panels made from polycrystalline cells give off a bluish tint. They are becoming less and less frequent.
The silicon used to make monocrystalline (black) solar cells is a higher purity silicon. This silicon is arranged to create a single large silicon crystal using a method known as the Czochralski process.
Absorption of sunlight
Black color is particularly effective for absorb sunlight , making it the ideal color for photovoltaic panels. When a photon of sunlight hits a solar panel, it is absorbed and converted into electricity. black color panels absorb many more photons than colored panels, for example. Therefore, to capture the entire spectrum, the panels are black.
If you would like to learn more about how solar panels work on cloudy days and during the winter months, one of our items deals with the subject.
Maintaining the temperature
It is a fact that black solar panels absorb sunlight very well. However, completely black panels have a significant drawback: cells heat up more and become a little less efficient when they are hot.
This is why the most efficient solar panels have black cells, but on a white background . The white backgrounds of the black panels help maintain the temperature so that the cells do not heat up too much. The black of the panels is made on the active part of the panels. The other colors like white are on the passive part. This is also the reason why the so-called “full black” panels are a little less efficient than the “black white” ones (around 3%).
The cost of production
Black colored panels are the ones with the lowest production cost, compared to colored solar panels. Black solar panels are made from cheaper materials , which helps reduce the final cost of installations for consumers.
To obtain colored panels, colored filters are added in front of the silicon cell, which cause a loss of capture of part of the solar spectrum. Adding a filter is a significant additional cost for a lower final yield. It is therefore reserved for strong aesthetic constraints.
Colored solar panels
Although most solar panels are black, there are other colors available on the market. Terracotta, green, white, blue, red, transparent… Particularly aesthetic, colored solar panels blend perfectly into their environment. For example, green panels will harmonize in a green landscape.
Although having a less efficient yield than black or blue solar panels. Colored panels have the advantage of blending into the landscape. In addition to the various criteria that we have seen above, these panels are frequently used to comply with the specifications of the Architects of Buildings of France.
On Oscaro Power, you can find for example the terracotta colored solar panels in partnership with Bisol.
