Winter is the best time of year to monitor your off-grid solar system’s output closely.
In an off-the-grid solar house, a row of days with complete cloud cover can occasionally mean a drop in the available power from your battery storage due to fewer hours of sunlight hitting the solar panels.
Of course, as most solar households are also connected to the electricity grid, energy is always available even though the sun might be hidden. But it’s important to understand what happens to your solar production during winter and learn the best way to monitor your solar system.
What happens to your solar production during winter?
To understand that, let’s first look at how solar panels work.
It’s a common misconception that solar panels need heat to produce power. Still, they need light, incredibly ultraviolet light (UV), which is the most effective at creating a direct current. But, when sunlight hits your solar panels, direct electricity (DC) is produced; this is converted to alternating current (AC) by your inverter, and it’s the AC we use in our homes.
During winter, the sun is lower in the sky, and its light doesn’t hit the panels at an optimal angle, meaning your solar production is slightly reduced. In addition, winter daylight hours are shorter than during summer, so there is less time for your system to harvest sunlight.
So, does this mean a significant drop in the energy generated?
You’ll produce less energy during winter, but it’s not always a huge drop.
Solar panel performance can drop by 2% to 15% during winter, depending on several factors, such as where you live, the tilt of your panels and how much dirt has accumulated on the surface of your panels.
What’s the best way to keep on top of your usage in winter?
The best way to effectively use the power generated during winter is to monitor your solar system, not when you have available capacity, and use your electrical appliances accordingly. Keeping your panels clean is also a good idea.
