You may be wondering, “Do solar panels cool your roof?”
It is important to consider efficiency, value for money, and feasibility for households and businesses when considering solar panel systems, and it is also important to consider if and how solar panels keep buildings cool. Solar panels should not replace insulation material, however, there are some benefits to having solar panels on your roof when it comes to keeping your building cool.
Do Solar Panels Cool Your Roof?
You might not realize how much heat energy a dark surface can absorb. On a hot day, a rooftop can reach temperatures of up to 70° Celsius. Roofing materials are built to handle heat, but high temperatures can still increase damage on the material. The heat in your roof will raise the internal temperature of your house or building. It will place a significant strain on your air conditioning system, even if your building is well designed with the necessary ventilation.
Solar panels do cool your roof. Scroll down to see how this happens.
Solar Panels Keep Buildings Cool
Solar panels absorb heat that would be otherwise passed on to your roof by acting as a physical cover, providing shade, and reducing the heat energy absorbed by your roof, therefore keeping the building cool. Cooling also happens from the convection current that happens in the space between the roof and the panels. The heat in the solar panels and roof materials is minimized as air travels between the two, reducing the temperature of the roof and cooling the building. The larger the space between the exterior roofing and the solar panels, the more extensive the channel in which air can travel between the panels and roof, further increasing cooling.
Solar panels also reflect some heat energy off of their aluminum surface. Your roof will absorb less heat as more energy is reflected off of it. The more efficient the solar panels are, the better the cooling effect will be. Heat builds up on solar panels because of inefficient conversion, so the more efficient your solar panel is at converting sunlight into electricity, the lower its operating temperature will be creating a better cooling effect on your roof.
A study conducted at the University of California San Diego found that panels can reduce the surface temperature of a roof by up to 38%. Results will vary with your solar positioning and roof, the surface area covered by your panels and the type of panels. Solar panels don't only help to keep your roof cool, but also take that energy that would otherwise be heating your building and convert it into a renewable energy source.
Other Advantages of Installing Solar
Other benefits of installing a solar panel system include:
Solar panels insulate roofs in winter by retaining heat in the evenings, reducing the rate at which the roof temperature lowers, helping your house keep warm at night.
Solar panels reduce cooling costs by reducing the amount of energy you need to spend cooling down the building. The same study by the researchers at UC San Diego found that the panels’ cooling effect increased buildings’ energy efficiency by 5%.
Solar panels protect roofing materials from the elements and daily UV exposure, increasing their lifespan.
No matter how solar panels are installed or how much of your roof is covered by them, it is a system that generates clean, renewable energy. Solar panels are an excellent way to complement ventilation and roofing materials if you are looking to increase your home’s energy efficiency. Having solar panels installed on your roof will not only help improve your building’s thermal efficiency and produce clean energy, it could also increase the lifespan of your roofing materials.
Investing in solar panels is not only a great way to use clean, renewable energy, and reduce your electricity bill and emissions, they also save you money by increasing the energy efficiency of your building, reducing heating and cooling costs. If you are looking to take advantage of the benefits of solar-powered technology, look no further than Sunshine City Solar. At Sunshine City Solar, we have been installing and seeing the benefits of solar panels in El Paso and Las Cruces for many years.
We provide our customers with the best solar options. Our skilled and experienced team has helped install thousands of panels for our customers. For more information on the benefits of solar panels or discussing your solar solutions, talk to the team at Sunshine City Solar.