Are Solar Panels Resiliant in the Winter?

Posted by Rolf Joho on June 8th, 2010 filed in Global Warming

You may be wondering how solar panels can work in an area that experiences severe winters. After all, this is a technology that relies on the sun in order to function.

However, the past 10 years have brought much innovation and progress to solar panel technology. Now, even when it’s snowy, cloudy or rainy, solar panels can easily make electricity.

What Can I Come Up Against With Solar Panels During Winter? Get It Here!

If you have an off grid system that works independently from a public utility company, your solar energy system should have a set of storage batteries. These batteries are like the ones used in autos. They are designed to hold any extra electricity that your solar panels generate during the sunny part of the day. If your battery storage system is properly designed for your locale, it will include the right number of these batteries to store power for the number of cloudy days that are usual for your geographical area.  

If your system is tied to the grid (connected to the local electric company) it won’t require storage batteries. When the sun goes down at night, or during a stretch of inclement weather obscuring the sun for days, your power system will automatically get electricity from your local energy company. You’ll still be reaping the benefit of lower power bills because on sunny days your electricity will be coming from your own solar panels.

Maintaining Solar Panel Performance Through the Winter

In some places, you may even be able to sell electricity back to your local power company. This is yet another way solar panels can prove cost effective. How this operates is that any excess power that your solar panels produce goes back into the energy company and you are allowed a credit for it on your energy bill.  So even if you need to use power from the grid at night or on overcast days, the excess that was produced by your solar panels will still be used to lower your overall utility costs.

Some Useful Solar Panel Projects