Does Solar Power work on cloudy days?

Summary

Who Smarted? – “Does Solar Power Work on Cloudy Days?”

Podcast: Who Smarted? (Atomic Entertainment / Starglow Media)
Release Date: June 22, 2026
Episode Theme: An engaging and comedic deep-dive into how solar panels work, whether they function on cloudy days, and the future of solar energy for kids and families.

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Episode Overview

This episode brings the signature Who Smarted? blend of humor, interactive trivia, and science to the topic of solar power. The hosts (Trusty, Lois, and the over-the-top superhero Solarman) take kids on a rooftop adventure to demystify how solar panels work, whether they function on cloudy days, and explore the bright future for solar energy – including space-based solar panels and robot helpers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Are Those Shiny Roof Panels?

• [01:36] Trusty introduces listeners to solar panels as Lois installs them on a roof.
  • Interactive Quiz: Are they electric, lunar, or solar panels? (Answer: Solar panels)

2. The Sun’s Superpowers for Humans and Homes

• [04:19] True/False: Sunlight is good for you (Answer: True—vitamin D and serotonin boost).
• [05:12] Lois: “But it can give your home a major boost of power. That’s why I’m installing these panels. They’ll capture energy from the sun, which can be used for lights, TVs, smartphones, computers, appliances, video games. Basically anything that requires electricity.”

3. Abundant Solar Energy, but Barriers Remain

• [05:38] Trivia: In just 2 hours, the sun provides enough energy to power the whole world for a year.
  • Trusty: “In two hours, the sun provides enough energy to power the entire world. And not just for a day or two, but for the whole year.”

Why Isn’t It Everywhere?

• [06:47] Lois explains the hurdles:
  • Solar panels don’t work well on cloudy days
  • They’re expensive
  • They don’t capture enough energy (low efficiency—about 20%)
  • Lois: “The solar cells which make up these panels can capture and use only about 20% of all that energy provided by the sun. That’s like cutting a pizza into five slices, taking one slice and throwing the rest away.” (07:23)
• Old panels used to capture only 0.5%!

4. Solar Technology History

• Around 150 years old conceptually; modern panels about 70 years old.
• [08:20] Burning fuel for energy is thousands of years old; solar tech is new by comparison.
• [08:51] Comic relief: Solarman blames “tuna fish pizza” for his bad “solar breath.”

5. Solar on Cloudy Days: Storage and the Power Grid

• [09:19] Lois: “There are ways around [cloudy days]. For example, you can store extra energy you make on sunny days to help with the cloudy ones. Or you can remain connected to the power grid and get a mix of power from these panels and power plants.”
• Solar plant mega-systems in deserts can power hundreds of thousands of homes.

6. How Solar Panels Work (The Science Sandwich)

• [10:35] Solar panels = layered sandwich:
  • Top: Glass, for protection
  • Middle: Layer of silicon with phosphorus (negative charge; electrons)
  • Bottom: Silicon with boron (positive charge)
• [11:26] Lois: “When sunlight hits the negative silicon layer, it knocks some electrons free… now we have moving electrons which are collected by metal plates in the solar panel and transferred to wires, creating electricity for use anywhere.”

7. Solar Power’s Out-of-This-World Start

• [13:05] Quiz: “Can you guess what objects use solar power the most when modern silicon panels were first introduced in the 1950s?”
  • Answer: Satellites.
  • The Vanguard 1 (1958) was the first solar-powered satellite, and it still works today!

8. The Future: Solar Power From Space

• [15:07] Why build solar power in space?
  • No weather interference
  • Panels can face the sun at all times
  • Massive amounts of power could be sent to Earth
• [15:29] “Scientists in the USA, Europe and China are looking at ways to build solar power plants in space. Satellites with giant solar panels would convert the sun’s energy into electricity and then beam that power to Earth.”

9. Fun & Final Notes

• The U.K. plans robots in space for solar panel construction.
• Solarman suspects they might be evil, Lois and Trusty set the record straight.
• [16:28] Solarman sneaks off with the spare pizza: “This space pizza is delicious, but it could use a little more tuna fish. Ew.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [05:38] Trusty: “In two hours, the sun provides enough energy to power the entire world. And not just for a day or two, but for the whole year.”
• [07:23] Lois: “The solar cells… can capture and use only about 20%… That’s like cutting a pizza into five slices, taking one slice and throwing the rest away.”
• [09:19] Lois: “Store extra energy you make on sunny days to help with the cloudy ones.”
• [13:05] Trusty: “Most space satellites run on solar power. And the very first satellite powered by solar cells, the Vanguard 1, launched in 1958, and it’s still still works today.”
• [15:29] Lois: “The United Kingdom is hoping to have a solar power plant working by the year 2035 and has plans to build one with the help of robots in space.”
• [16:28] Solarman (mouth full): “This space pizza is delicious, but it could use a little more tuna fish.” (A callback gag about his solar breath)

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Timestamps for Essential Segments

• 01:36 – What is a solar panel?
• 04:19 – Benefits of sunlight for people
• 05:38 – Sunlight potential: enough for the whole world!
• 06:47 – Three big problems with solar panels
• 07:23 – Why current panels are like “wasting pizza”
• 09:19 – How we manage solar power on cloudy days
• 10:35 – How solar panels actually make electricity
• 13:05 – Space satellites: the first big solar power users
• 15:07 – The concept and promise of space-based solar power
• 16:28 – Outro joke with Solarman, pizza, and tuna fish

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Tone & Highlights

• Energetic, pun-filled, and humorous: The playful banter among Trusty, Lois, and Solarman helps explain scientific facts with jokes and relatable analogies (like pizza slices).
• Interactivity: Listeners are quizzed throughout, keeping the experience dynamic and audience-engaged.
• Accessible Science: Analogies (solar sandwich, pizza) translate big concepts for kids.

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Conclusion

This episode of Who Smarted? delivers a kid-friendly, laughter-filled exploration of solar energy—what it is, how it works, the problems with today’s technology, and what a solar-powered future could look like both on Earth and in space. It’s packed with memorable metaphors, quick quizzes, and plenty of superhero sillyness to make solar science stick.

Perfect for: Curious kids, classroom science units, family science talks, and anyone looking for a fun-fueled dose of clean energy knowledge.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, smarty pants, quick question. Would it be cool to slice flying fruit out of the air like a ninja? I'm hearing a lot of yeses. Well, last weekend I was actually doing it in my living room. Just me chopping watermelons and pineapples out of mid air while my dinner was bubbling on the stove. How NEX Playground. NEX Playground is a kid focused game system where your body is the controller. No joystick, no buttons. The playground sees your moves and you're in the game. I've been CR Fruit Ninja and there's also bluey and Ninja turtles games, and an Avatar Earth rumble tournament where I got to bend rocks. Dance games, sports games, over 50 games once you add play. Pass smarty parents, here's the part for you. Playground is built kid safe. No ads, no in app purchases, no mature content, no online chat with strangers. Just your smarty pants moving their body, having a blast, playing games that you can actually feel good about. It's the screen time solution that's also extra exercise, which means everyone wins. Check out next [e-mail] that's nexplayground.com. trust me, your living room is about to get a lot more interesting. And now it's time for who's Smarted? How much longer are we gonna be up here?

[B]

Almost done. You good there, trusty?

[A]

Oh, yeah. I'm just glad I have my safety harness on.

[B]

You don't spend too much time up on roofs, do ya?

[A]

Me?

[C]

No.

[A]

I prefer being inside a house than on top of it. Oh, hi, smarty pants. In case you were wondering, my friend Lois here is installing shiny black panels on top of a roof. You may have seen panels like these on houses in the town or city that you live in. Do you know what these panels are called? Are they electric panels, lunar panels, or solar panels? Yep, you guessed it. Solar panels.

[B]

On a beautiful day like this, it's nice to help someone capture the power of the sun.

[C]

Say, did someone say the power of the sun?

[B]

Oh, it's you again.

[A]

Whoa. Is that a bird? Is that a plane?

[B]

Nope, it's Solar Man.

[A]

How are you flying on your own? And you have a cape. Wait, are you the man of Steel?

[C]

No, no. More like the man of extra strength porcelain. Nobody should confuse me with a certain other flying caped superhero.

[A]

Gotcha.

[C]

Hang on, Lois. I'll save you.

[B]

Solar Man. Stop. I've told you many times, I'm perfectly safe up here.

[A]

Uh, does Solarman visit you often?

[B]

Often is an understatement. Try constantly. He keeps thinking I'm in danger.

[C]

Did someone say danger? Here I am to save the day. Ugh.

[B]

I don't need saving. I'm doing my job installing panels for solar power.

[C]

Ah, yes. With the power of the sun, you can do amazing things.

[A]

That's true.

[C]

Like fly.

[A]

Uh, not quite.

[C]

And shoot lasers from your eyeballs.

[A]

Uh, no, smarty pants. Do you know what the power of the sun can be used for? Or how solar power works in the first place? And how might we one day get solar power? With the help of robots in space. Well, get ready for a super whiff of science and history on who smarted?

[C]

Who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science? Or history? Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun. But who's smarted?

[A]

True or false, smartypants? Spending time under the sun can be good for you. The answer is true. Yes, you do need to protect yourself with sunblock. But there are many benefits to getting a good amount of sunlight. The sun helps your body produce vitamin D, which boosts your blood cells, bones, and immune system. And as you might know from our Brain chemicals episode, the sun makes your brain release a hormone called serotonin, which puts you in a good mood and gives you more energy.

[B]

The sun certainly provides energy.

[C]

You could say it does gives you superpowers. Just look at me. With the strength of the sun, I can easily bend this hammer. Whoops.

[B]

Thanks. I needed that.

[C]

Sorry.

[A]

Well, unless you're from another planet like Solarman here, the sun is not going to give you super strength.

[B]

But it can give your home a major boost of power. That's why I'm installing these panels. They'll capture energy from the sun, which can be used for lights, TVs, smartphones, computers, appliances, video games. Basically anything that requires electricity.

[A]

Of course, there are some issues with solar panels. Smartypants, just how much power do you think comes from two hours of sunlight hitting the earth's surface? A, enough to power the world, B, enough to power a city? C, enough to power a house? Or D, less than that. Considering an entire roof might be covered in panels for just one house, you could think the sun doesn't provide enough usable energy. But in fact, the answer is A, in two hours, the sun provides enough energy to power the entire world. And not just for a day or two, but for the whole year.

[C]

Whoa.

[A]

The sun is the world's largest source of clean energy, and it won't run out for billions of years. So why aren't more people using it?

[C]

I blame my Archenemy, Lex Loafer. He wants all the power of the sun to himself so he can control the planet. But I'm on to his diabolical plan.

[A]

Uh, I don't think that's it.

[C]

What else can it be?

[B]

Actually, it's the solar panels themselves,

[A]

Smartypants. Do you know what Lois means when she says the solar panels are the problem? Is it A, solar panels don't work well on cloudy days, baby. They're very expensive, or C they don't capture enough energy? The answer, sadly, is all three. Smarty pants. Follow up question. Can you guess how much of the sun's energy these panels can turn into electricity? Is it 10%, 20% or 50%? Which is it, Lois?

[B]

The solar cells which make up these panels can capture and use only about 20% of all that energy provided by the sun. That's like cutting a pizza into five slices, taking one slice and throwing the rest away.

[A]

Yikes. It hurts my heart just thinking about all that wasted pizza.

[B]

I know, I know. But the technology is improving. In fact, scientists have developed panels that can capture twice as much energy. And we still come a long way from the first solar cells, which captured a measly 1/2 percent.

[A]

Smartypants, any guesses how old solar power technology is? Has it been around for 30 years, 70 years, 100 years or more? Believe it or not, it's been around for about 150 years. Although modern solar panels only go back about 70 years, that might still seem

[B]

like a long time, but it really isn't. When you think that we've been burning things for heat and energy for thousands

[A]

of years and over time, that's caused polluted air and climate change.

[C]

I can use my solar powers to clean the air for you.

[B]

No, no, Stop it, Solarman. Your super solar breath is gonna make us freeze.

[A]

Not to mention it stinks a little.

[C]

Sorry, I had tuna fish pizza for lunch.

[A]

Oh, my heart hurts again.

[B]

Here, have a breath mint.

[C]

Thanks.

[A]

Solarman's windy breath does help demonstrate a problem with solar panels. The weather. Considering how much energy the sun provides, even at 20%, these panels can collect a lot if the sun is shining. If the wind brings in the clouds, these panels aren't going to collect much.

[B]

But there are ways around it. For example, you can store extra energy you make on sunny days to help with the cloudy ones. Or you can remain connected to the power grid and get a mix of power from these panels and power plants. Some power plants are going solar too. There are ones in the desert right now that collect much more Energy from the sun and can fuel hundreds of thousands of homes. And that's a good thing, since installing panels like these and storing energy at home can get exciting, expensive.

[A]

But the price of solar panels is dropping, right?

[B]

Yes, and that's why solar power is more popular than ever. And if this continues, I'm going to be super busy.

[C]

Same, because I'm always busy being super right.

[A]

So tell me, how does this all work?

[C]

Simple. I fly above the clouds. I close my eyes and listen for the sound of someone in distress, like Lois.

[B]

I don't need any help. I'm fine.

[A]

Yeah, and I wasn't talking to solarman. I wanted to know, how do solar panels capture energy?

[C]

Oh, I'll just be above the clouds listening.

[B]

To answer your question, trusty solar panels are like a sandwich.

[A]

Oh, sorry, you just reminded me it's lunchtime.

[B]

Uh huh. Except I'm not talking about a sandwich you can eat. Not unlike a sandwich, there are layers to a solar panel. The top layer is usually glass, which protects the technology. Under that is a layer of solar cells made with chemical elements called silicon and phosphorus. This layer has a negative charge.

[A]

Smarty pants, you might remember us talking about charges in other episodes. They're essential for electricity. Do you remember what particles create negative charges? Is it A protons, B neutrons, or C electrons? If you said C electrons, great job. And the flow of electrons is electricity.

[B]

And when sunlight hits the negative silicon layer, it knocks some electrons free, completing our sandwich. Underneath a negatively charged layer is another silicon layer. Only this one is mixed with boron, giving that layer a positive charge.

[A]

And the loose negative electrons would move towards a positive charge.

[B]

Exactly. So now we have moving electrons which are collected by metal plates in the solar panel and transferred to wires, creating electricity for use anywhere.

[A]

And there's one place where solar electricity is incredibly helpful. Smarty pants. Can you guess? Solarman knows a lot about it.

[C]

I do?

[A]

Yup. And I'll tell y' all what it is right after this quick break. And a word from our sponsors. Hey smarty. Family picture. Seventh grade trustee at the kitchen table, staring at a page of math homework that might as well have been written in Dragonese. I just didn't get it. My parents could afford a few sessions with a tutor, and they went at my pace. But they could only help when they were there. Boy, do I wish Ixl learning had existed back then. IXL is like a friendly tutor, working at your pace and adjusting to your needs. Ixl has pretty much every subject your kid studies with friendly explanations. When they get stuck and fun celebrations when they get it right. Homeschool parents, this is especially for you. I know summer schedules are all over the place, and 10 minutes here and there with IXL lets you keep the homeschool learning momentum going in a fun way all summer long. Over 15 million students use it, and it's backed by real research. Who Smarted? Listeners get an exclusive 20% off when you sign up [e-mail] smarted so sign up today today and give your smarty pants the experience I wish I'd had access to. That's ixl.com smarted for your exclusive 20% off. Now back to who Smarted Smarty Pants. Now that you know how old solar power technology is and how it works, can you guess what objects use solar power the most when modern silicon panels were first introduced in in the 1950s? Is it a, trains, B satellites, or C, roller coasters? The answer is B satellites. Most space satellites run on solar power. And the very first satellite powered by solar cells, the Vanguard 1, launched in 1958 and it's still still works today. I'm sure Solarman knows a thing or two about space. Is that right, Solarman? Solarman?

[C]

I think Solarman left. He could tell Lois was getting a little annoyed with him.

[B]

But you are Solarman.

[C]

Nope. I'm clerk.

[A]

Can't Clerk Kant.

[B]

Everyone knows who you are, clerk.

[C]

But I'm wearing sunglasses.

[B]

Yeah, and you're still wearing your superhero costume and cape, and you're flying in the air.

[C]

Fine, you got me. It is I, Solarman.

[A]

That's good. We need you.

[C]

You do? Does Lois need saving?

[B]

No.

[A]

But Solarman, you are from space, and space is the future of solar power. Aha.

[C]

I get it. You want me to go into space and use my solar power to fly super fast around Earth and change the flow of time. Uh, no.

[A]

But smarty pants, why is going to space a good idea when it comes to solar power? Is it A, there's no weather to interfere with it, B space panels can face the sun at all times, or C, a gigantic amount of electricity could be sent to Earth. The answer, happily, is all three

[B]

scientists in the usa, Europe and China are looking at ways to build solar power plants in space. Satellites with giant solar panels would convert the sun's energy into electricity and then beam that power to Earth. The United Kingdom is hoping to have a solar power plant working by the year 2035 and has plans to build one with the help of robots in space.

[C]

Robots in space? Could they be evil robots? Perhaps.

[A]

I don't think.

[B]

Yes. Yes, they could be evil robots. Which is why we'll need a superhero up there to make sure nothing goes wrong.

[C]

Good idea, Lois. I'm on my way to space.

[A]

The robots aren't really evil.

[B]

No. But now that he's gone, I can finish up.

[A]

Oh, great. Then I can get down and have lunch. Hey, where'd those extra four slices of pizza go?

[C]

Mm, mm mm. This space pizza is delicious, but it could use a little more tuna fish. Ew.

[A]

A big bright shout out to Grace and Lily in Overland Park, Kansas, who love listening in the car and enjoy episodes about sports, space animals and the ocean. But of course, you said your all time favorites are the ones with fart sound effects. Who Farted? Who Smarted this episode Solar Power was written by Dave Here Comes the Sun Beaudry and voiced by Gabby Mayfield, Adam Solarman Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn. Our associate producer is Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.