How to Maintain Your Solar Panels During Heavy Snow?

Now that winter is in our sights, ever wondered what would happen to your solar panels in case it snows? While solar panels can lower electricity consumption and make your home eco-efficient, it’s a fact that they can be high maintenance. If you’re worried about your solar panels ruining under the thick layer of ice, rest assured, that’s not going to happen.

During the winter your panels will produce a lower amount of energy due to the lack of sunlight; but, there are a number of misconceptions that people have in mind while installing the panels in a snow-prone area.

Here’s a complete guide to maintaining your panels during the chilly winters.

Do the Panels Work When Under Snow?

Your solar panels might not work well due to the following three reasons.

• The days are short during the winter, making them produce less energy as compared to summer.
• During winter, your panels may not receive direct sunlight.
• The sun’s intensity would be low due to clouds and a thick layer of snow accumulated over the panels.

Despite these factors, it’s safe to say that panels do work when the sun is out – even in cold temperatures. In fact, the low temperature enhances their production, leading to an increased amount of energy.

In short, because these solar panels work better in lower temperatures, they consolidate the energy produced by the panels during the winters. Moreover, despite cloudy weather, your solar panels will generate electricity around 10%-30% of the total power rating.

And, if your solar panels are covered by a thin sheet of snow, it will still generate electricity; however, in the case of a thick layer of snow, the panels will be left inoperable. This means they won’t be able to generate energy. That being said, it is still possible for your panels to work if the arrays are not covered by it.

In addition to this, there are several ways you can prevent the snow from accumulating on your panel’s surface. For instance, you can install the solar panels a bit slanted so that the snow brushes off swiftly. Moreover, the panels are made in such a way that they offer less friction to the snow. This implies that unless there is a huge storm coming, your panels will work regardless of being covered in snow or not.

How Do You Remove Snow from the Panels?

In case of a huge snowstorm where your panes are rendered inoperable, you must follow a certain technique to get rid of the snow.

Here’s a fact- there is no safer way to remove the snow. You would have to wait for a sunny day for the snow to melt from the panel. However, if you are entirely dependent on them and want to get rid of the snow as soon as possible, resist trying to remove it with your hands.

There could be a lot of debris that will only make your hands ache and make you vulnerable to potential electrocution. Instead, use a broom or roof rake to remove the snow slowly from the panels. Moreover, if you have an off-grid system where your daily energy production is kept in check, you would be required to get rid of the snow.

Lastly, you don’t need to worry about the weight of the snow pressing the grids. The grids are designed while keeping this in mind and can deal with excessive weight easily.

Summing Up

So, if you feel like saving electricity is part of your resolution, get them installed, regardless of your location. The panels are made to withstand intense cold or heat.

While the grids might be a little sensitive to the changing temperatures, you can get these panels easily installed even if you live in areas that get a lot of snow. Moreover, you can choose origin electricity as your energy supplier for lower bills and also cater for good solar panel plan deals.