The Effect of Color on Temperature of Electrical Enclosures Subject to Solar Radiation

Electrical enclosures have historically been painted with dark colors ostensibly to enhance the radiation of internally generated heat. Outdoors, these dark colors are great absorbers of solar radiation, from which the enclosure incurs an appreciable temperature rise. The lighter colors absorb less solar radiation, incurring smaller solar temperature rise. However, it is demonstrated that these lighter colors radiate the lower temperatures of the equipment as well as the darker colors. Hence, equipment painted with the lighter colors will operate at a lower temperature and be subject to less severe derating from the effects of solar radiation.