Solar Panels Winter Time

Don t rely on your panels in winter to heat your hot water or run your electric heating but remember that the savings over the whole year should pay for the system in less than 10 years.

Solar panels winter time.

We all know how heating systems drain electricity and result in exorbitant bills during winters. Tackling weather related challenges is one reason why the sunshot initiative funds regional test centers where solar panel performance can be time tested in widely varying climates. Unfortunately solar is not going to provide all your energy needs in winter but people are sometimes surprised by just how much you can get out of some of these systems during the colder months. At boston solar we install high performance solar panels that are designed to withstand the boston area s freezing temperatures and heavy snow.

The winter months are generally cloudier than summer days and winter days are also shorter. This makes them very effective during the winter. The sun rises at 8 am and sets at 4 pm. Rather than increasing the productivity of a solar panel the hot temperatures during summer can actually decrease the system s efficiency.

As the temperature around the solar panels i e. An average day of solar generation in winter. Solar panels generate free electricity no matter what temperature it is outside and operate most efficiently in cool and sunny weather. Like most electronics solar panels function more efficiently in cold conditions than in hot.

This means that solar power generation is significantly less during the winter than it is during the summer. While cold temperatures help solar panels convert energy more efficiently shorter days will have an impact on your energy output since solar panels can only work when there s sunlight in the sky. Researchers at the test centers have shown that solar can still successfully generate electricity in snowy areas and other harsh environments. Depending on the type of solar panels you ve installed in your home you may actually have more issues cooling down your solar panels in the summer than you will with energy output in the winter.

Winter months are actually good for solar energy production as long as your panels aren t covered by snow. Solar panels work efficiently during sunny winter days. Having solar panels can help you significantly bring down those bills. Here in buffalo an average day in winter is just grey.

This means that your panels will produce more power for each precious hour of sunshine during the short days of winter. If every day was like this i d get 120 kwh for the month which is pretty exactly what my 5 year average was. Solar panels generally produce about 40 60 less energy during the months of december and january than they do during the months of july and august. The ambient temperature decreases such as during winter time solar panels become more efficient energy producers.

This is what that looks like.