Why can't solar panels be installed on car roofs?
1 Answers
The main reason for not installing solar panels on car roofs is that the electricity generated by the panels is insufficient to support vehicle operation, coupled with the influence of weather conditions, which makes manufacturers reluctant to install solar panels on cars. Under strong sunlight, the solar energy density at the Earth's surface is approximately 1kW per square meter, and the highest known photovoltaic conversion efficiency is currently 17.3%. This means that each square meter of solar panel can provide a maximum of about 170W of power. Here are some related points: 1. Installing solar panels on car roofs is not illegal, but it generally has little practical value because cars already have their own battery systems, which also provide DC power. 2. Under full sunlight, a monocrystalline silicon solar panel can generate about 1 kWh of electricity per square meter in around 10 hours. However, the roof area of most passenger cars is very small. Even if two square meters of solar panels could be installed, a full day of strong sunlight would only generate 1-2 kWh of electricity. 3. The battery capacity of new energy vehicles is at least 50 kWh or more. Even if 2 kWh could be charged per day, it would take nearly a month to fully charge the battery, whereas a fast-charging station can fully charge the battery in just over an hour.
