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  • Indoor Solar Panels?

    Anybody ever try this? I'm curious how much efficiency would be lost via the window...

  • #2
    One of the amazing things about our eyes is the tremendous dynamic range they have. The ability to see in very bright sunlight as well as very dim indoor darkness. It may look to you like there is good light indoors, but it is squat compared to outside. A solar panel will at least get its voltage up to spec, but the amount of current it makes indoors is nil. Solar panels need direct sunlight - not ambient light, not diffused light, not reflected light. Solar radiation is a relatively diffuse source of energy already, making it hard to economically collect and harness - don't compromise it anymore than it already is. (Our world is full of energy - you just have to work like heck to collect it). The other sources of energy (coal, oil, gas, hydro, nuclear) have a big advantage over solar in that they have much higher energy densities which makes them much easier to use. Solar is clean and renewable, but low density.
    BSEE, R11, NABCEP, Chevy BoltEV, >3000kW installed

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    • #3
      Interesting stuff, I wonder if anybody has ever done the experiment to see just how much energy would be lost

      Originally posted by solarix View Post
      One of the amazing things about our eyes is the tremendous dynamic range they have. The ability to see in very bright sunlight as well as very dim indoor darkness. It may look to you like there is good light indoors, but it is squat compared to outside. A solar panel will at least get its voltage up to spec, but the amount of current it makes indoors is nil. Solar panels need direct sunlight - not ambient light, not diffused light, not reflected light. Solar radiation is a relatively diffuse source of energy already, making it hard to economically collect and harness - don't compromise it anymore than it already is. (Our world is full of energy - you just have to work like heck to collect it). The other sources of energy (coal, oil, gas, hydro, nuclear) have a big advantage over solar in that they have much higher energy densities which makes them much easier to use. Solar is clean and renewable, but low density.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Jacob View Post
        Interesting stuff, I wonder if anybody has ever done the experiment to see just how much energy would be lost
        Someone may have been done some work, but my guess is no one knowledgeable enough to do meaningful research already knows it's a poor way to produce energy from the sun so they don't waste their time.

        Probably, about the best production you can expect from an indoor setup would be from placing a panel directly (and flush) against a window. That would (as a SWAG) get you maybe something like less than half of what an outdoor panel would get in a vertical orientation - which is itself probably about 2/3 or less of what a properly oriented panel would produce on a yearly basis.

        So, the best annual production you might expect from an indoor panel flush to a window is maybe something like about 1/3 the amount you'd get from a normally oriented panel in a normal outdoor location.

        This says nothing about the practical and real hassles of what you're asking, which are considerable. Aesthetics may be another consideration, but beauty is in the eye.

        Overall, a poor idea as things stand at this time.

        What were you thinking and why do you ask ? Are you in an apartment ? Fear of vandalism ?

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        • #5
          I was thinking of something for like a car's windsheild or maybe a counter top in a kitchen right next to the window... This is already assuming there are panels on the roof and you're just trying to do absolutely everything... it's also just sorta interesting to find out what would happen either way

          Originally posted by J.P.M. View Post
          Someone may have been done some work, but my guess is no one knowledgeable enough to do meaningful research already knows it's a poor way to produce energy from the sun so they don't waste their time.

          Probably, about the best production you can expect from an indoor setup would be from placing a panel directly (and flush) against a window. That would (as a SWAG) get you maybe something like less than half of what an outdoor panel would get in a vertical orientation - which is itself probably about 2/3 or less of what a properly oriented panel would produce on a yearly basis.

          So, the best annual production you might expect from an indoor panel flush to a window is maybe something like about 1/3 the amount you'd get from a normally oriented panel in a normal outdoor location.

          This says nothing about the practical and real hassles of what you're asking, which are considerable. Aesthetics may be another consideration, but beauty is in the eye.

          Overall, a poor idea as things stand at this time.

          What were you thinking and why do you ask ? Are you in an apartment ? Fear of vandalism ?

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Jacob View Post
            I was thinking of something for like a car's windsheild or maybe a counter top in a kitchen right next to the window... This is already assuming there are panels on the roof and you're just trying to do absolutely everything... it's also just sorta interesting to find out what would happen either way
            Who knows what the future holds. You could be in the vanguard that leads the charge into the future. Often that vanguard group is filled with what I call the "you could just " crowd - as in "you could just do this and 'POOF' - problem solved." Unfortunately (perhaps unfortunate for me only), my observation is that most of that crowd is often short on several commodities. Among them are education, experience and perhaps most importantly, persistence, and as it seems most of the time, common sense.

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            • #7
              Well, given the overall goal, it would definitely be worth a test.

              Originally posted by J.P.M. View Post
              Who knows what the future holds. You could be in the vanguard that leads the charge into the future. Often that vanguard group is filled with what I call the "you could just " crowd - as in "you could just do this and 'POOF' - problem solved." Unfortunately (perhaps unfortunate for me only), my observation is that most of that crowd is often short on several commodities. Among them are education, experience and perhaps most importantly, persistence, and as it seems most of the time, common sense.

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              • #8
                Jacob you can test it yourself if you buy a small panel and have a multimeter (with an ammeter function handy). Test it outside close to noon and see how many amps it can provide. Then take it inside the car and measure the results.

                The major problem with car windows is that modern ones use passivated / uv filtering films. So aside from the photon's energy being disippated by the glass before it reaches the panel, the films do even more. Aside from the car not being pointed optimally, there is a large heat issue. When a panel overheats, the efficiency goes way down, so it is a lose-lose situation inside a car.

                With current technology, the only thing you can do is throw large amounts of money at a small power indoor project. It can be done, but financially and otherwise, it is an unbalanced system for most.

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                • #9
                  Yeah, having an indoor solar panel seem interesting but I dont see any benefit from having it indoors aside from lower reserve of energy. I would still prefer to my solar panels outside!

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                  • #10
                    Right - the only way to deal with it indoors is to oversize it as large as you can, use pure-lead or lithium batteries with very low internal resistance, and in this case DEFINITELY use an MPPT charge controller with high-voltage panels.

                    Expensive for most "indoor" projects, but if the need is great enough, one can try to cut back on inefficiency the best they can.

                    Of course along with that means doing a SUPER job when doing the power-budget for the loads.

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                    • #11
                      Other than aesthetics, seems like a bad choice for most people.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Bynumite View Post
                        Other than aesthetics, seems like a bad choice for most people.
                        And I find indoor solar panels less than attractive, even if my neighbors are happier. So aesthetics argues against it too.
                        SunnyBoy 3000 US, 18 BP Solar 175B panels.

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