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> This is true for a single panel. But the amount of sunlight which hits an acre of land is constant. If the land is 100% covered with panels, the panels will c
by t3pfaff 4y ago
> This is true for a single panel. But the amount of sunlight which hits an acre of land is constant. If the land is 100% covered with panels, the panels will collect 100% of the available sunlight.
That is not true from my understanding. The increased solar angle of incidence effects how much of the energy reflects back into the sky. Having more panels next to it without a gap won't change that. Yes you can fit more panels in the same area without putting them on an angle but they will be quite a bit less efficient because more light will be reflecting back up per sqft of panel which is what matters cost wise.
- nick4780167 4y agoThe anti reflective layers and texture on the panels are usually pretty good, such that then reflection is less than the area loss due to the angle.
- tuatoru 4y agoYes, one of the many areas of improvement of PV modules in the last couple of years has been reducing reflections from the surface of the glass and from the glass-cell boundary in panels. Also changed cell technology (n-TOPCon) helps with reflections and recombination within the cells.
- sacred_numbers 4y agoThere is a small loss of efficiency (<2%) at extreme angles, but it is not too significant[1] [1]: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6611928/#:~:text=So%2C%20it%20is%20concluded%20that,angle%20of%20incidence%20of%20sunlight https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6611928/#:~:tex....