Do Solar Panels Work Better In Summer Or Winter

This is a question we get asked quite frequently so we wanted to address it in this short article which covers how solar panels work in the winter and how solar panels work in the summer.

Do solar panels work better in summer or winter.

Solar thermal vs solar photovoltaic solar power comes in two flavors thermal and photovoltaic. Of course our oregon and washington cloudy skies produce far less solar power than sunny skies but when the sun does peek through the panels work better than they do during the. As the temperature around the solar panels i e. Solar panels only require light not heat to continue functioning correctly.

It turns out that you might get your best solar energy output in the spring and not the summer as you might think. After all if it is cold and cloudy outside then clearly solar panels will have less to work off of right. Do solar panels work better in summer when it s hot. This is because that solar panels produce less electricity when it s hot.

Solar panels need light not heat. The solar revolution is here for you and future generations during summer sun and winter cold. Solar panels degrade in the heat so on very hot days they will be less effective. The most powerful energy resource available in the world is right above your head.

And while solar panels produce less energy due to the days being shorter and the sun being lower in the sky solar panels can still be a great way to take care of some if not all of your energy needs in the winter. The ambient temperature decreases such as during winter time solar panels become more efficient energy producers. This is a well known phenomenon and you will see it listed in the specifications on your solar panel datasheet. So on this blog we ll discuss the big difference between summer and winter solar panel energy production to help you get a better picture of annual solar panel performance.

While seemingly a natural conclusion it s not that simple. Winter is often panned as the least solar friendly time of the year. At sunrun we know there is a better way.