Solar Panels Efficiency In Winter

The energy saving trust have published some figures which suggest a standard 3kw system facing due south producing around 300kwh during june and july will produce around 75kwh in a winter month like december or january.

Solar panels efficiency in winter. The ambient temperature decreases such as during winter time solar panels become more efficient energy producers. Winter solar power is still viable cooler weather is the friend of solar as panels become more efficient in turning the sun s rays into electricity. While this might seem counterintuitive remember that only visible light. Contrary to popular belief colder weather is actually better for solar panels efficiency than warmer weather this is a slight benefit from the winter months.

Even on cloudy days solar panels can still receive the optimum energy they need. In this regard the colder winter weather can carry some advantage over summer. A blue sky winter s day can see some amazing levels of power produced on an hourly basis compared with summer. As the temperature around the solar panels i e.

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. Heavy snow can limit the amount of energy produced by solar panels but light is still able to move through the snow and forward scattering brings more light to the solar cells than one might expect. Even when solar panels are completely covered by snow they can still generate electricity. Couple that with the fact that winter days are shorter and unfortunately you can guarantee that the panels will not be as effective in winter.

As long as the daylight is on the solar panels that can generate electricity and maintain the same efficiency in the winter if their maintenance is done properly. 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. Of course our oregon and washington cloudy skies produce far less solar power than sunny skies but when the sun does peek through the panels work better than they do during the summer. So what are the figures.

When the temperature drops your panels gain efficiency. So winter solar power is not an oxymoron. We ve already talked about how snow on the ground and colder temperatures can improve your solar efficiency in the winter. Solar panels are tested at 25 degrees celsius and for every temperature above that the panel s output efficiency is reduced.

But you can still generate a surprising amount of electricity in the winter partly because of the power temperature coefficient effect mentioned above.