Does Snow Affect Solar Panels

A common myth is that solar panels do not work during winter.

Does snow affect solar panels.

Solar panel issues related to snowfall. Snow on solar panels will affect the array s production but don t let that scare you. Light snow has little impact on solar panels because it easily slides off. Does snow on solar panels stop electric production.

Solar panels shed snow even faster than a regular roof surface. However in the larger picture of your energy savings snow has an insignificant effect on your solar production. The white snow can also reflect light and help improve pv performance. You can always consider getting solar panels with either continuous panel tracking or seasonal panel tracking.

With a dusting of snow on your array light still penetrates the snow and you still have energy production. With enough snow the added weight could potentially cause your roof to collapse indirectly damaging the panels. Interestingly the cold temperature will typically improve solar panel output. If your panels aren t too inaccessible you can always use a snow rake to help remove the snow.

The weight of heavy snow can place stress on your panel s support structure. Here are the factors that minimize or altogether cancel out the negative impact of snow on solar panels. When a solar panel is covered by a thick layer of snow it s blocked from sunlight and can t generate energy. When they are covered in snow panels will still absorb some sunlight through the snow as long as it isn t too deep and this helps to heat the panels up and encourages the snow to slide off.

Snow reflection the last is that reflection from nearby snow can actually increase the amount of sunlight getting to a solar system which is especially true for ground mount systems. In addition the sunlight that gets to the dark surfaced panels will heat them up. According to the us energy department you don t have to worry too much about light snowfall. Solar panels are usually installed at an angle which makes it easy for the snow to slide off.

But heavier snowfall can cause more difficulty. Solar panels and snow although a snow buildup won t directly damage your panels it does pose a unique threat to the system as it acts as an increased static structural load. The good news is that snow rarely affects solar panel performance in real world conditions. Winter will only hurt solar production if the panels are covered with snow.

This in turns helps melt the snow getting you back into a more productive state. Wind can easily blow the snow off of your solar panels.