It’s almost that time of year again — when days shorten, winds bite, and the snow sticks. For some on the West coast, winter is not usually a problem. For the rest of us, heavy snowfall can be a cause for concern, especially in regards to home solar roof panels. But, rest assured: panels are safe and will make it through another winter.
Solar Winter Woes
1. I’m worried that the snow will bury my solar panels and prevent them from working.
2. It’s so dark in the winter – will my panels really be functioning at all?
Winter Worry #1: It’s true – snow may accumulate on your roof during a heavy snowfall, blocking your solar panels from direct sunlight. However, your solar panels are slanted and the tilt will allow much of the snow to slide off. In addition, the dark panels attract and absorb sunlight, allowing for a much faster melting process. What you can do to speed up this process is give your panels a good sweep, if they’re accessible. You can wipe some of the snow off your panels or just wait for nature to take its course.
Winter Worry #2
Yes, winter days are short and your solar panels are not going to absorb as much sunlight as they do during the long summer days. However, winter’s not all bad. Not only does snow reflect sunlight, sending additional light to your roofs, but solar panels work even better in cold temperatures! In addition, SunRun takes these wintry days into account in our estimates. Your system is designed with the knowledge that you’ll get more energy from the grid in the winter than in the summer. You’ll use net metering with your utility, which means in the winter you’ll draw on the electricity credits you earned with your utility in the summer. So, even if you live in an area that receives a lot of snowfall, the cold weather and reflective snow will keep your panels generating during the winter and net metering will allow your productive summer months to offset your grid usage.
In short, don’t let winter get you down! However long it may feel, remember that the sun will still shine in the winter, the snow will melt, and solar will keep your lights on.
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It’s quite interesting article. I’m just curious how long are in interested in this subject ? I saw many blogs but Your’s it’s really informative.
It will definatley help the people who are present in snow roundthe year. Lot many people in the world, reside in the place where snowfalls round the year and temp is always below 0 degree celcius.I will look forward for the day when the solar devices will be portable to carry in the bags. Whoso ever is going for trekking in the mountains can carry the portable solar system for the genration of the electricity.
I found this blog while searching for photovoltaic roof shingles today. Interesting.