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A comment on 'Artificial leaf' concept inspires research into solar-powered fuel production. Parent comment

Re:'Artificial leaf' concept inspires research into solar-po... by p1mrx on Tuesday May 05, 2020 @10:17PM (#23087329)
So you're trying to connect an array of solar panels in series, such that shading one doesn't limit the current of the others. Isn't that normally solved using bypass diodes?
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Re:'Artificial leaf' concept inspires research into solar-po... by pacman83 on Saturday May 09, 2020 @11:55AM (#23125777)
I guess you just solved my problem. This is a topic I'm just beginning to look into. Thank you.

But now I'm wondering why are panels made this way? I mean internally they're wired in series or at least substantially so. and I've read that shading a small portion of one panel will drastically reduce the output of that one panel. Is it possible to create a panel (e.g. nominally 12 volt system) with bypass diodes inside it? If so then why wouldn't they have been doing this all along?

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