Credit: GLERL. OK, so the lakeâs average water temperature is still a bracing 68 degrees, but it's considered downright tropical for the region. As the above chart shows, based on the 30-year average, the lakeâs average water temperature should be in the mid-50s.
Touted as a promising alternative energy source for decades, solar panels crown rooftops and roadside signs, and help keep spacecraft powered. But how do solar panels work? Simply put, a solar panel works by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity. Solar panels actually comprise many, smaller units called photovoltaic cells. (Photovoltaic simply means they convert sunlight into electricity.) Many cells linked together make up a solar panel. Each photovoltaic cell is basically a sandwich made up of two slices of semi-conducting material, usually silicon â the same stuff used in microelectronics. To work, photovoltaic cells need to establish an electric field.
The average solar panel produces about 200 watts of electricity. This varies from solar panel to solar panel based on the size and efficiency of the panel. What will actually determine the amount of energy a solar panel produces is the solar panel efficiency, solar panel size, and the amount of sunlight hitting the panel. Solar Panel Efficiency Shade, the direction and angle your solar panels are facing, and the surrounding temperature will affect how efficient solar panels will be.