Solar panels make the house cooler

Solar technology is being adopted by more and more residential and commercial buildings. A recent study in the United States found that solar panels on the roof not only provide clean energy, but also have the added benefit of making the house cooler.

The study was completed by Jane Cress, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of California, San Diego, and his team. This is the first study to measure the thermal insulation effect of solar photovoltaic panels. The researchers found that during the day, the building covered with solar panels, the ceiling temperature is 2.8 °C lower than the uncovered.

Researchers analyzed that solar panels can reduce the amount of heat reaching the roof by about 38%. Calculated according to the service life of the solar panel, the cooling cost it saves is equivalent to 5% of the price of the purchased panel. Or in another way, the savings in cooling costs are equivalent to selling 5% more solar power to the grid.

The Anthony Domingos analysis principle of the research team stated that these solar panels essentially act as "visors". If there is more room for air circulation between the building and the solar panels, the effect is more pronounced, so the tilted solar panels have better shading effects.

Solar panels can not only be insulated in summer but also in winter. Through model calculations, the research team found that during the winter, despite the fact that solar panels will block sunlight from grilling hot buildings during the winter, at night, they help maintain indoor heat and reduce winter heating costs.