Do Solar Panels Work During The Winter

Cold weather is good for solar panels.

Do solar panels work during the winter. Winter will only hurt solar production if the panels are covered with snow. Solar panels only need daylight to produce electricity therefore unless your solar system is blocked by shade from trees or snow it will continue to absorb energy during the day even in the winter. Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity. As long as there is sunlight falling on the panels it does not matter how hot or cold it is.

Solar panels performance in the winter vs summer with examples contrary to popular belief it is possible for solar panels to generate a lot of electricity in the winter. Short answer yes they do. If you re living in the northern hemisphere you ll want solar panels facing south. Do solar panels work in winter.

While solar panels work best in direct sunlight they still produce energy during the cold and cloudy days. Solar thermal is affected by the loss of direct sunlight a bit more than pv and realistically you should not expect too much from your solar thermal during winter. With the right system design solar is becoming more and more an excellent winter investment. A common myth is that solar panels do not work during winter.

Sunlight strikes the panel at a lower angle resulting in further reduction of the amount of available sunlight. In fact photovoltaic pv solar panels work more efficiently when it is cold. They are also affected by cloud considerably more than solar pv so a cloudy winter day you should not expect your solar thermal to do much at all. Very often the demand for electricity is the highest during winters.

The white snow can also reflect light and help improve pv performance. Colorado homeowners should be using south facing panels especially during the winter. Solar does work during the winter seasons. Solar panels work better in colder temperatures there is a common misconception that solar panels generate more energy in summer because of the heat associated with the season.

Of course the output won t be as high as during those summer months where direct light is more frequent and extended but you can still make your solar panels work for you even in the coldest of winter months.