Do Solar Panels Work In Winter?
YES!
The sun is actually at its closest to earth during the winter months. But what does it mean for solar panels when the temperature drops?
As long as your solar panels do not remain covered in snow for an extended period of time, solar panels can still generate enough power to run your household and charge your batteries. Whilst it is true that heavy snow fall can reduce sunlight penetration, your panels will produce more electricity than you might think.
On premium solar panels, they often come with technological advances. For example, the silicon is covered by an antireflective glass that is specially designed to absorb maximum sunlight. This also means that solar panels can produce more heat from the sun than a standard roof surface. This heat that is produced will melt the snow away more quickly than a neighbouring roof, keeping your system producing power even when heavy snow may be covering the ground.
Furthermore, solar panels are designed to withhold some weight, 10 – 20 kg. Therefore, the snow covering the panels will not be heavy enough to cause a risk to the panels. The specifics can be found on the data sheets for the panel inside of our quotation.
Do solar panels need winter maintenance?
One of the amazing benefits of solar panels is once installed they require very little to no maintenance, including the winter, this is because they are more or less self-cleaning.
How effective are solar panels during winter?
When it comes to solar energy the most important thing to remember is that it is not about warmth, it is about sunlight. A shocking a fact about solar panels is they actually work more efficiently during cooler temperatures. Even in the most frigid of winter temperatures, solar panels can produce enough electricity to power your home.
Also, as technology has advanced in the solar industry, battery storage is readily available and affordable for all solar systems. Hence, if you are not using all the energy currently being generated by your solar panels, there is a chance to store that energy in your batteries to be used at a later time in the day. Effectively saving you more money as your reliance on the electricity grid is will be minimal.
What next?
No matter the weather, solar energy is here to provide you with a clean source of electricity to power your home or workspace. So why not take the plunge and switch to solar?
