Thinking about a cold, snowy climate can deter some homeowners from having a solar system installed at their home, particularly those living in a region that experiences such weather on a frequent basis. However, solar panels also work very effectively in cold weather and climactic regions, and in some instances, might even produce electricity more efficiently during cold weather.
While solar panels can still be a wise investment, there are some considerations to make if you live in a colder region of the country and want to make the switch to solar:
If you live somewhere that experiences a lot of snow, this can affect the productivity of the panels, and while panels can be installed vertically, they may not be as effective.
Generally, solar panels can be installed using wider or taller PV modules, and in either a horizontal or vertical orientation. This means that when it snows, it should slide down to the edge of the vertical panel. Solar panels covered in snow will not work as well.
Most solar panels are organized in cell strings that run horizontally, and when any one of them is blocked, production of each string on the panel becomes limited. Ideally, when solar panels are installed horizontally, only one or two sets are blocked.
However, while horizontal panels will work more efficiently in snowy conditions, the orientation of the entire system’s rack is also very important. Having your solar panels installed by a technician with an experienced company will help ensure that they’re installed in such a way as to optimize productivity, and ensure functionality at all times.
So, horizontally oriented solar panels with vertically mounted panels are best for cold, snowy climates.
What about adjustable panels?
Did you know that some solar panels can be bought with adjustable mounts that allow the panels to tilt, and the snow to fall down to the ground? Helping to increase solar production, this particular feature can be explained to you in more detail by your solar installer, but essentially, panels can be set at a steeper angle to prevent snow from accumulating on them, and to enable what is present, to melt and slide off. It’s important to note that this function must also be optimized according to your specific home, and the best person to guide you with this, would be a local solar panel installer.
Snow guards for solar panels
Helping to prevent any damage from being caused to the panels (which is rare, but can happen in inclement weather), solar snow guards are an excellent investment. Not only that, but when snow falls from the panels onto the property there’s always the chance that it will cause some damage, whereas with snow guards, the snow melts and falls of gradually, rather than in large, heavy chunks.
While there are no solar panels that exist purely for use in snowy conditions, buying high quality panels (ideally adjustable), having them oriented appropriately, and purchasing snow guards, will all help to minimize snow damage and maximize energy production.
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