Do Solar Panels Cool Your Roof?
Singapore is always experiencing hot weather throughout the year. Solar panels do not just power your air condition on hot days. They also take over some of the air condition's work themselves. Don't you believe? According to a study from researchers at the University of California at San Diego, it states that the rooftop solar panels not only produce emissions-free electricity, but also cool roofs and buildings. This lowers cooling costs, and offers an additional benefit of going solar.
Solar Panel Cooling Effect : How Does It Work?
When sunlight hits your house, it warms your roof and pushes heat into your home. By installing solar panels, they will block this sunlight from hitting your roof, as a result of preventing heat from entering your house. The researchers found that solar panels can lower the temperature of roof by about 3°C. This can significantly reduce cooling costs over the life of the solar panels. In fact, the researchers determined that the savings from reduced cooling amount to a 5% discount on the price of solar panels.
Do Solar Panels Generate Heat?
As explained briefly above, there is a common misconception that solar panels generate heat amidst converting sunlight into usable electricity. Instead, solar panels absorb heat that otherwise would have been passed onto your roof. Solar panels block the heat from being absorbed by your roof. Eventually, your home actually prevent extra heat from being generated.
The researchers also discovered that solar panels prevent heat from escaping during the night when it is cooler. This definitely lowers heating cost and increases the financial returns of the panels. However, the heating benefits of solar panels may not be as pronounced as the cooling benefits. The panels do, after all, reduce the natural heat of your home during the day.
In conclusion, solar panels do not just save money by generating emissions-free electricity. They also save money by increasing a building’s total energy efficiency. Undeniably, there are more efficient ways to reduce your heating and cooling costs, but only solar panels can increase energy efficiency and produce most or all of a building’s electricity needs. Add these benefits together, and going solar starts looking even brighter.