if u use a solar cell to power a light and u point that light at the solar cell will u have light forever(or until the light burns out)
2006-09-03 06:27:02 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Sorry, it won't work. The Second Law of Thermodynamics shows that any conversion of energy from one form to another incurs some loss of energy in an unusable form (usually heat).
If you rigged up the thing you describe: a light shining on a solar cell that is wired to power the light, with all of this in a completely dark room, it will never start up, because there is no light to energize the solar cell. If you momentarily inject light into the system, it will run while the injected light is on.
When you remove the injected light from the system, it will go dark almost instantaneously, because the solar cell loses some of the light in the form of heat resulting from electrical resistance losses.
It will go dark. The Second Law of Thermodynamics wins again!
if you doubt me, read up on "Laws of Thermodynamics" on the internet, or, if you are really brave, at the library.
2006-09-03 06:54:46 · answer #1 · answered by aviophage 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Solar cell is only a mechanism to convert light energy to electrical energy. For our convenience we can store the converted energy in a storage battery. Efficiency of the cell at the maximum is only 10-14%. So the light produced by the cell is not sufficient enough to produce further electrical energy.
2006-09-03 06:49:06 · answer #2 · answered by kochani 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is loss of engergy in the conversion from photons to electrons, then in electrons to visible light to waste heat. Unless you come up with a photoeletric cell that is 100% efficient, superconductive material and a method to turn electricity to light with no loss, then no.
The best photoelectic cells on the market (and this is only from my rather poor memory) function at no better than 20% - meaning that 80% of the energy captured is lost.
2006-09-03 06:36:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. Solar cells are not that efficient. They do not absorb all of the light energy received.
2006-09-03 06:34:11 · answer #4 · answered by troythom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Build Home Solar Power : http://SolarPower.siopu.com/?qao
2017-04-05 08:10:34 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is right it saves the inverment but at night u need to switch to a different source of enery. Also the light bulb will burn out soon or later.
2006-09-03 06:30:40 · answer #6 · answered by tigerhood2005 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, because there is always some energy lost in the action. There is no 100% efficiency in the world. In theory it could work though, just not in real life experimentation.
2006-09-03 06:33:06 · answer #7 · answered by Robin C 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
hmm...something just doesnt seem right about a solar powered flashlight...cant quite put my finger on what yet...
2006-09-03 06:33:12 · answer #8 · answered by Adam 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Very interesting.
2006-09-03 06:32:47 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋