The exact solution of the scattered electromagnetic field from a water droplet containing an arbitrarily located spherical black carbon particle is used to investigate the effect of black carbon on the absorption of solar radiation by clouds. When droplet absorption is averaged over all possible locations of black carbon within a droplet, the averaged absorption is close to the value calculated using the effective medium approximation. The preferential black carbon location on the top or close to the bottom of the droplet leads to an increased absorption. The estimated upper bound on the increased absorption of solar radiation (global and annual average) is 1--3 W/m2 over the absorption of pure water clouds. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1996