The Surprising Truth Revealed! While solar panels are typically used to convert sunlight into electricity, it is also possible to use light bulbs as a source of energy for solar panels. Leave the solar panel and light bulb in direct sunlight for several hours to charge the solar panel.
Solar panels do not require a light bulb. However, focusing as much light as possible on the solar panel is best. Solar panels incur energy loss, as do light bulbs. Combined, the losses will reduce the amount of power that goes into the panel, resulting in a longer charge. (Note: This passage does not directly answer if a UV lamp can charge a solar panel, as the question provided was only asking about the need for a light bulb.)
Natural sunlight and artificial light both put off light waves that solar cells can respond to and absorb. However, solar cells respond differently to different light waves. The difference in charging solar panels with lightbulbs (and therefore, artificial light) has to do with the light waves each different type puts off.
A typical lightbulb produces anywhere from 40 to 100 watts total. Next, keep a safe distance between the solar panel and the light bulb when attempting to charge one with the other. This is especially for small panels like those that are in flashlights, solar lights, garden lights, and watches.
The recommended distance between a solar panel and a light bulb is at least 20 inches, or about two feet. You do not want the light bulb and solar panel too close, but you don’t want them too far apart either, for charging small solar powered devices.
If light is strong enough to be visible, that means it is strong enough to power a solar cell. Any artificial light, from fluorescent ballasts to incandescent bulbs, can give off some kind of light that is able to be absorbed and used by solar cells. However, there are two caveats to this fact: