Is there any significant performance difference between solar panels with a black back sheet and panels with a white colored back sheet?
The reason I ask is because I'm currently in the process of having a fixed ground mount array installed at my house in Central California. The contract with my contractor calls for Suniva Optimus 270-60-4-100 panels (silver frame, white back), but the contractor wants to switch to Suniva Optimus 270-60-4-1B0 panels (black frame, black back) due to availability. They're telling me that there is no significant performance difference, but I'm not sure if I should believe them. From my perspective, a black back sheet is going to absorb more heat from the sun and reduce power harvest. Since I live in Central CA where summertime temperatures routinely exceed 100 degrees F, I feel that reducing temperatures with a white back sheet would be ideal to maximize performance.
So, is the color of the back sheet a significant issue? Have there been any studies performed testing the differences in back sheet colors and their effects on power harvest? Appearance of the panels is not an issue whatsoever as they are ground mounted and placed off to the side of my house; performance is most important and I don't want to sacrifice it for aesthetics. Any advice would be appreciated. (And sorry if this has been addressed before; I've been searching online and searching on this forum, but have yet to find anything.)
The reason I ask is because I'm currently in the process of having a fixed ground mount array installed at my house in Central California. The contract with my contractor calls for Suniva Optimus 270-60-4-100 panels (silver frame, white back), but the contractor wants to switch to Suniva Optimus 270-60-4-1B0 panels (black frame, black back) due to availability. They're telling me that there is no significant performance difference, but I'm not sure if I should believe them. From my perspective, a black back sheet is going to absorb more heat from the sun and reduce power harvest. Since I live in Central CA where summertime temperatures routinely exceed 100 degrees F, I feel that reducing temperatures with a white back sheet would be ideal to maximize performance.
So, is the color of the back sheet a significant issue? Have there been any studies performed testing the differences in back sheet colors and their effects on power harvest? Appearance of the panels is not an issue whatsoever as they are ground mounted and placed off to the side of my house; performance is most important and I don't want to sacrifice it for aesthetics. Any advice would be appreciated. (And sorry if this has been addressed before; I've been searching online and searching on this forum, but have yet to find anything.)
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