[Poppy_EONNext]

Hey Community 👋

As the days get shorter and the clouds roll in, let’s tackle the top winter myths head on and explain why your panels are still pulling their weight 🌨

Myth: "The panels don't work when it's cold"
Fact: Solar panels work on light, not heat. In fact, cold temperatures actually increase the efficiency of the panels! They perform best in cool, bright conditions.

Myth: "Snow will stop my panels from generating"
Fact: Snow on solar panels can reduce their efficiency, but the dark, angled surfaces help melt and shed snow naturally. In most cases, you don't need to remove it, as light snow or frost allows light to penetrate and the panels' heat will melt the rest.

Myth: "Cloudy Winter Days Make Solar Power Impossible"
Fact: Production is lower (as the light is weaker) compared to a sunny day, but it is not zero. The panels use daylight (or diffused light), not just direct rays.

Maximising Winter Output & Essential Tips ❄

For homes with solar, winter is the time to focus on efficient energy use:

• Battery Storage: It allows you to store the energy generated during the short, sunny afternoon and use it to power your home during the long, dark evening hours, reducing reliance on grid power.
• System Monitoring: Regularly checking your system's performance helps you spot any unusual drop in production.
• Angle the panels: Ensure your panels are angled to capture as much sun as possible during the lower winter sun angle. South-Facing is Key because the sun's lower angle is still the most directly captured by the south facing orientation.
• Keep panels clear of debris: Dirt, Leaves and bird droppings can block the already limited winter light.
• Check for new shading: Check if trees or new structures are now shading your panels that didn't shade them in summer.
• Shift Energy Usage: Shifting high power appliances to when solar output is at its highest.

Do you have solar panels and a great winter tip? Share it below 👇

[Indyk_EONNext]

Thank you for sharing @Poppy_EONNext

Some really great facts you've shared there about solar panels and how well they work in the winter! ❄

[meldrewreborn]

@Poppy_EONNext

it is true that solar panels work on light and will produce some energy even on cloudy days.

but shading by trees and absence of direct sunlight make a huge difference to the output, and as the winter days have less hours of daylight anyway, the difference will be very marked. It’s clever to say that they work even when it’s cloudy, but, by not quantifying the output compared to sunny days, it’s also quite (deliberately?) misleading.

[Lee_EONNext]

@meldrewreborn What you have said is correct in terms of trees and cloud cover, especially summer vs winter. I've seen this first hand working in FIT for many years when you work out generation averages etc

It's more around explaining to people that they do work in the winter however agree there is a drop off, so it's important to try to utilise more and be more energy efficient. I've seen messages not on the Community but in the customer service queues around this topic and what to expect from their panels.

My advice is always take regular reads, once a week even and you can see exactly what your system is doing.

The intention would never be to mislead.

[meldrewreborn]

@Lee_EONNext

My concern is that people are being sold solar panels on a prospectus that most customers would not understand. The benefits are real, but are they as much as promised? Indeed I'd wager that no guarantees are given - how could they - the hours of direct sunlight are so very variable? So I expect there will be "up to" type claims, which some will take as gospel, while not looking at the downside.

I think it would be better if the community were not used as a sales forum, and explained also why panels might not deliver as much output as intended, so give the positives and the negatives - a balanced approach.

[rwh202]

Originally Posted by meldrewreborn

@Lee_EONNext

My concern is that people are being sold solar panels on a prospectus that most customers would not understand. The benefits are real, but are they as much as promised? Indeed I'd wager that no guarantees are given - how could they - the hours of direct sunlight are so very variable? So I expect there will be "up to" type claims, which some will take as gospel, while not looking at the downside.

I think it would be better if the community were not used as a sales forum, and explained also why panels might not deliver as much output as intended, so give the positives and the negatives - a balanced approach.

Yep, it's all well and good saying they work in winter - yes, they do, but that's a rather loose definition of 'work'.

In crude numbers, solar generates less than 20% in December/January as compared to June/July. You'll see 70% of total generation in the 6 'summer' months and 30% in the 6 winter months.

Not that the 30% isn't worth having, but is a fairly small proportion. It also all falls entirely during working hours - no production at all during the mornings and evenings where working households can use it.

What it does mean is that, if possible, you should massively oversize the array during installation - panels are cheap (I mean ridiculously cheap) - stick them everywhere, even non-optimal directions - you might end up curtailing summer production if you reach inverter / export limits, but it gives some headroom for winter production.