> Solar panels, at their best, can capture about 25% of the sun's energy as elec... | Hacker News

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		runeks on Aug 21, 2023 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: Heat your house with a mechanical windmill (2019) > Solar panels, at their best, can capture about 25% of the sun's energy as electricity. There exist heat pumps with a coefficient of performance (COP) such that the system as a whole captures more heat i.e. COP >4 Am I understanding it correct that the efficiency is, in this case (25%; COP >4), greater than 100%?

jaggederest on Aug 21, 2023 [–]

Yes, because it is moving scavenged heat to where it is useful. So 1/4 of the energy comes from the electricity, the other 3/4 from ambient atmosphere.

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