There are different ways to answer it. The very first thing to know is that the word capture is a bit misleading. I would use the word "absorbed". For that you may refer to the " detailed balance limit of a single junction solar cell" or "Shockley Queisser limit" which is 30%. You can simply think of as the Maximum Theoretical Efficiency of a single junction silicon-based solar cell. So to answer your question. Indeed the solar panel can "Capture" all the light falling onto it but only 30% of it can theoretically be converted to electricity. The typical current module efficiency is 22 - 23%.

The second question is how much of the energy is absorbed is a tricky one. The actual solar irradiance absorbed depends upon local weather, cloud albedo, land albedo, and atmospheric dust content etc. However, if you just want a ratio of land to ocean you can approximate it by 30% land: 70 % ocean, of the total irradiance received by the earth at a certain time instant. Someone may correct it, please.

Dr Arslan Abbas thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Respected Sir,

Rk Naresh No, it is not possible for a solar panel to capture 100% of sunlight. The efficiency of solar panels, which is the ratio of the electrical energy output to the solar energy input, is typically less than 100%. As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, the most efficient commercially available solar panels have efficiencies around 20-22%, meaning they can convert about 20-22% of the incoming sunlight into electricity.

There are fundamental physical and thermodynamic limits, such as the Shockley-Queisser limit, that set a maximum efficiency for solar cells based on their materials and design. Achieving 100% efficiency would violate these limits.

Regarding the second part of your question, the distribution of solar energy absorption on Earth varies between land and oceans. On average, about 30% of the incoming solar radiation is reflected back into space, and the remaining 70% is absorbed by the Earth's surface.

The absorption is not evenly distributed between land and oceans due to differences in surface properties. Oceans, with their large heat capacity, absorb a significant amount of solar radiation. On average, about 50% of the solar energy reaching the Earth is absorbed by the oceans. The remaining 20% is absorbed by the land, including deserts, forests, and other terrestrial surfaces.

This differential absorption plays a crucial role in shaping climate patterns and atmospheric circulation. Oceans act as a heat reservoir, influencing weather systems and moderating climate variations. Land, on the other hand, can experience more rapid temperature changes due to lower heat capacity.

Dear Dr Himanshu Tiwari thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Solar panels don't convert sunlight into electricity efficiently because they can't absorb energy from the entire solar spectrum. There are specific wavelengths of light that solar panels can't process, so they're reflected off the solar panels or lost altogether. An untreated silicon solar cell only absorbs 67.4 percent of sunlight shone upon it meaning that nearly one-third of that sunlight is reflected away and thus unharvestable. While solar panels need sunlight to function, intense sunlight and high temperatures can lead to inefficiencies. Solar panels typically range between 10-20% efficiency, when tested to 25° (though under lab conditions, some photovoltaic cells can reach 46% efficiency). The general rule of thumb is that an average of four peak sun hours per day is enough sunlight to make a solar renewable energy system worthwhile. Four peak hours is equal to 4000 watt-hours of cumulative solar radiation over a day. We explain peak sun hours, and the numbers for each state, in this blog. It is important to note that the process of producing electricity from solar energy is not 100% efficient. Environmental factors such as temperature, soiling, and shading as well as losses in the electrical components, can affect the efficiency of a PV system. The average commercial solar panel converts 17-20% of sunlight into electricity. While 20% might not sound like a lot, it's enough to keep the average American home powered throughout the day. Even the best semiconductors only capture a fraction of the light that strikes them.Just under half (47%) of the incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the land and ocean, and this energy heats up the Earth's surface. The energy absorbed by the Earth returns to the atmosphere through three processes; conduction, radiation, and latent heat (phase change). About 23 percent of incoming solar energy is absorbed in the atmosphere by water vapor, dust, and ozone, and 48 percent passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by the surface. Thus, about 71 percent of the total incoming solar energy is absorbed by the Earth system. During an average day, the 60 million square kilometers of surface waters of the tropical oceans (located approximately 10 degrees north to 10 degrees south of the equator) absorb one quadrillion megajoules of solar energy-equivalent to the energy that would be released by the combustion of 170 billion barrels of oil. The Sun provides the Earth with most of its energy. Today, about 71% of the sunlight that reaches the Earth is absorbed by its surface and atmosphere. Absorption of sunlight causes the molecules of the object or surface it strikes to vibrate faster, increasing its temperature. The heat absorbed by the land and oceans is exchanged with the atmosphere through conduction, radiation, and latent heat (phase change). Absorptivity of a solar cell is about 90%, so around 10% of sunlight is reflected off. Most cells convert 10–30% into electricity; the other 80–60% becomes heat.

No, a solar panel cannot capture 100% of the sunlight. The theoretical maximum efficiency of a single-junction solar cell is around 33.17%, which is known as the Shockley-Queisser limit. This limit is due to the fact that sunlight contains photons with a wide range of energies, and not all of these photons can be captured and converted into electricity. Some photons will have too much energy to be absorbed by the semiconductor material in the solar cell, and some will have too little energy to create an electron-hole pair.

In practice, the efficiency of commercial solar panels is typically around 15-20%. This is due to a number of factors, including the type of semiconductor material used, the manufacturing process, and the optical design of the solar panel.

As for the amount of solar energy reaching Earth, it is estimated that about 30% is reflected back into space by clouds and other atmospheric phenomena. Another 50% is absorbed by the land and oceans, and the remaining 20% is converted into heat in the atmosphere.

Dr Murtadha Shukur thank you for your contribution to the discussion

About 23 percent of incoming solar energy is absorbed in the atmosphere by water vapor, dust, and ozone, and 48 percent passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by the surface. Thus, about 71 percent of the total incoming solar energy is absorbed by the Earth system. Just under half (47%) of the incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the land and ocean, and this energy heats up the Earth's surface. The energy absorbed by the Earth returns to the atmosphere through three processes; conduction, radiation, and latent heat. During an average day, the 60 million square kilometers of surface waters of the tropical oceans (located approximately 10 degrees north to 10 degrees south of the equator) absorb one quadrillion mega joules of solar energy-equivalent to the energy that would be released by the combustion of 170 billion barrels of oil. The remaining 47 percent passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed in Earth's land and sea which makes up nearly 71 percent of the entire world. The 70 percent of solar energy the Earth absorbs per year equals roughly 3.85 million exajoules.About a third of the Sun's energy (30%) is reflected back into space. The rest of the Sun's energy (20%) is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane. 51% of the incoming energy is absorbed by the earth's surface i.e. the land and oceans. Not only do the oceans cover more than 2/3 of the Earth's surface, they also absorb more sunlight and store more heat. Additionally the oceans retain heat longer. Of the 340 watts per square meter of solar energy that falls on the Earth, 29% is reflected back into space, primarily by clouds, but also by other bright surfaces and the atmosphere itself. About 23% of incoming energy is absorbed in the atmosphere by atmospheric gases, dust, and other particles. Not all of the Sun's energy that enters Earth's atmo- sphere makes it to the surface. The atmosphere reflects some of the incoming solar energy back to space immediately and absorbs still more energy before it can reach the surface. The remaining energy strikes Earth and warms the surface.The average commercial solar panel converts 17-20% of sunlight into electricity. While 20% might not sound like a lot, it's enough to keep the average American home powered throughout the day. Even the best semiconductors only capture a fraction of the light that strikes them.Solar panels don't convert sunlight into electricity efficiently because they can't absorb energy from the entire solar spectrum. There are specific wavelengths of light that solar panels can't process, so they're reflected off the solar panels or lost altogether.