Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Alright so if black absorb light then where is the energy stored. For example "Black 3.0" absorbs 99% of visible light so where does the energy from that light get stored and can it be used as a source of power.

Something like a solar panel.

Hi Shizuna1,

Absorbed light is turned to heat in most materials. It is inefficient to convert heat to electricity, but there have been ideas based on this, such as steam engines.

In special materials, energy from absorbed light can be re-emitted. This is known as fluorescence and is the concept behind GFP. In other materials (like solar panels), absorbed light is converted to electricity (moving electrons) directly.

If you're interested in solar energy related science projects, Science Buddies has some ideas here: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... lar-energy

Hope that helps, let me know if you have additional questions.

Best,
Charles