Tips To Make Solar Panels More Efficient In The Winter

In winter, days are colder and shorter, and the sunlight isn't as strong as it is in the summer. You might be wondering, do solar panels generate enough electricity to keep the lights on? Solar panels actually work better in temperatures below 77 degrees Fahrenheit, so you don't have to worry about the cold. And shortcomings in energy output in the winter are often balanced out by higher output in other seasons. Beyond reducing your energy use, there are two main things you can do to make your solar panels more efficient in the winter: Check their output to look for defects, and clean your panels to remove obstacles to sunlight.

An inspection of your panels' output is the main thing you can do to maintain their efficiency. If your installation came with an app or website that monitors the output of your panels, check to make sure they are producing at or near the amount of electricity that was promised in your contract. Panels lose their efficiency at a rate of about 1% per year, depending on the brand. If your panels' outputs are significantly below that, they need to be either cleaned or inspected for defects.

If you lease rather than own your solar panels, contact the company you leased the panels from. You don't own them, so don't jeopardize your contract by trying to fix the problem yourself, any more than you'd try to repair the roof on a home you're renting. If you own the panels, clean them first, and then check their efficiency again on your app. If the rate is still lower than expected or promised, contact your installer. The problem may not be the panels themselves but the hardware or software that brings the electricity into your home.

It's likely that rain and melting snow are sufficient to clean your panels, so you need to remove snow only if it's thick enough to block sunlight from reaching your panels. Snow is translucent, so some sunlight does pass through it. If your panels are on a slanted roof, a thin layer of snow will melt from the warmth of the sun and the heat from the panels themselves. Let the melting snow clean your panels for you.

There will be times when you do need to intervene, in which case, check to make sure your panels are free from any obstructions, especially near their base, where debris is most likely to accumulate. If your panels lie flat (such as on a carport), you can't rely on the rain to keep your panels clean. Clean the panels as you would clean your gutters each fall. Leaves, pollen, and bird droppings can accumulate, which will need to be removed manually.

If your panels are installed near a roadside where road dust or diesel soot are common, or you live in an environment where smog or sea spray are a factor, it's a good idea to hose down your panels. Just remember that it's easy to scratch solar panels, which can permanently reduce their efficiency. Don't use anything on solar panels that you wouldn't use on a pair of eyeglasses. It's a big mistake to use a power washer on solar panels: Use only water from a garden hose and a soft brush or cloth, not a squeegee. Soaps can leave a film, so avoid them if possible. Use only dish soap, and rinse well if you need to remove tough materials like bird droppings.