Do Solar Panels Work with Light Bulbs (Artificial Light)?

It takes sunlight approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach the earth from the sun. That sunlight carries 10,000 times more energy than what the world uses. The sun is one giant nuclear reactor producing enough energy to cover our energy demands and then some.

There is no other energy source known to man that produces energy anywhere close to what the sun produces in just an hour. We could shut down all other power plants from hydroelectric, coal, nuclear, or gas and run on the sun alone. That is how much energy the sun produces.

Will a Solar Panel Work from Indoor Lighting?

If the light is a source of energy does that mean we can turn any light source into a nuclear reactor like the sun? Here we’re going to investigate if solar panels can work with lightbulbs and other artificial lights.

Solar panels will work with an indoor bulb or artificial lighting and will convert the light into electrical energy. Light contains units of energy called photons. These photons have wavelengths of varying lengths. Shorter wavelengths pack more energy than long wavelengths.

Solar panels typically consist of two layers. The first layer is “doped” to produce free electrons. When photons are absorbed by a solar panel, the energy carried by the photons is transferred to these electrons.

The electrons then move to the second layer which has “gaps” of electrons in it. This results in a flow of electrons. The flow of electrons is how you get the electric current that powers an electronic device.

Also, find out If Charging Solar Panels with Artificial Light Is It Worth It!

What Type of Energy Does the Sun Produce?

Energy from the sun reaches the earth as solar radiation. This is part of a collection of energy called the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. Solar radiation is a broad spectrum that includes radio waves, x-rays, and gamma rays. It also includes visible light, ultraviolet light (UV), and infrared.

Solar panels work with visible light, ultraviolet light, and infrared to produce electricity. Visible light has the most intense wavelength at 500 nanometres. Most of the light that is converted to electricity in a solar panel is visible light.

What Type of Energy Do Indoor Lights Produce?

All objects absorb and emit radiation. Light bulbs are not an exception. The lights in a home mimic the solar spectrum of the sun although at a much smaller scale. That means light bulbs also produce the same visible light, ultraviolet, and infrared light that the sun does.

In essence, what this means is that solar panels can produce energy by converting the light from any object that emits light. That includes the indoor lights in your building. The caveat, however, is that these light sources are less energy-dense than what you will get from the sun. (Source)

Indoor lighting will not produce anywhere near the same amount of energy as the sun. The sun is a 5-billion-year-old star that has enough volume to fit more than 1 million earths inside it! There is no man-made light with enough energy to match what the sun produces. (Source)

How Do You Power a Lightbulb with A Solar Panel?

The simplest way to power a lightbulb with a solar panel is to simply connect the solar panels to the lightbulb through an inverter. However, because you are likely to need to use the light at night and not in the day, the best way would be to use the solar panel to charge a battery that will then power a lightbulb.

Solar power can provide a source of energy to just about anything you can imagine. Some of the very first devices to use solar energy were simple calculators. Today solar is used to power space stations, hospitals, and even entire communities.

Solar panels can be used to power a device directly or to charge batteries that will store the energy for later use. Connecting solar panels to lights is an effective way to reduce your electricity bill.

How to connect light bulbs to solar panels?

To connect solar panels to light bulbs you need to have an inverter. The purpose of an inverter is to convert the direct current or DC solar panels produce into the alternate current or AC that home appliances like light bulbs use.

Make sure to have the right size inverter. As a frame of reference, a 500W inverter can power eight 50W lightbulbs. The next step would be to connect your solar panels to the inverter. The output from the inverter will then power your lightbulbs. (Source)

Typically, however, you would want to use your lights at night and not in the daytime. In this case, then you will need a form of energy storage. This is where batteries come in. Batteries store the energy solar panels produce.

To connect batteries to your solar system requires you to have a charge controller. A charge controller manages how much energy goes in and out of your batteries. It regulates voltage and current to and from the battery.

What Lights Work with Solar Panels?

All types of light whether they are artificial or natural can work with solar panels. This includes LED, incandescent, halogen, and even laser lights. They all emit the spectrum of light that solar panels convert to energy.

Natural light from the sun will produce far more energy. Artificial light will produce less. The amount of energy you will get from artificial light depends on the type of light, the type of bulb, the wavelengths, and the intensity of the light.

The biggest determining factor in how much energy you will get from artificial light is what type of light it is. In a study done at a Belgian university, different types of light were put to the test. Researchers tested LED, incandescent, fluorescent, and metal halide lamps against different types of solar panels.

The results of the experiment revealed that certain combinations of light sources and solar panels yielded the most energy. Silicon solar panels like polycrystalline and monocrystalline worked best with incandescent lighting. Thin-film solar panels produced more energy when paired with LED and metal halide lamps. (Source)