Do Solar Panels Work During The Winter

Cold weather is good for solar panels.

Do solar panels work during the winter.

Solar does work during the winter seasons. A common myth is that solar panels do not work during winter. 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. Colorado homeowners should be using south facing panels especially during the winter.

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. Very often the demand for electricity is the highest during winters. 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. 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.

The white snow can also reflect light and help improve pv performance. While solar panels work best in direct sunlight they still produce energy during the cold and cloudy days. As the sun is situated in a lower position in the winter the tilt of your panels is just as important as the direction they re facing. Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity.

In fact photovoltaic pv solar panels work more efficiently when it is cold. Sunlight strikes the panel at a lower angle resulting in further reduction of the amount of available sunlight. 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. As long as there is sunlight falling on the panels it does not matter how hot or cold it is.

If you re living in the northern hemisphere you ll want solar panels facing south. Interestingly the cold temperature will typically improve solar panel output. With the right system design solar is becoming more and more an excellent winter investment. Do solar panels work in winter.

Short answer yes they do.