Do Solar Panels Produce Less In Winter

We looked at a typical viesmann solar thermal system and they suggest that solar thermal should provide about 60 of your hot water needs as an annual average with about 90 during the height.

Do solar panels produce less in winter.

Solar panels need light not heat. It s pretty easy to notice how much quicker the nights seem to get dark during winter months and yes that will have an effect on your solar panel system s production. And again this is the case. It s your home use your own energy.

Solar panels generally produce about 40 60 less energy during the months of december and january than they do during the months of july and august. Fewer hours of daylight means less time for your panels to produce energy which then means you ll need to rely more on public utility energy. More households nationwide are investing in solar systems. This is because that solar panels produce less electricity when it s hot.

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. Solar panels actually produce electricity more efficiently in cold weather. This is a well known phenomenon and you will see it listed in the specifications on your solar panel datasheet. Solar panels only require light not heat to continue functioning correctly.

It is called the power temperature coefficient and it will be listed as a percentage of power output loss per degree celsius c. Solar thermal heats water using the heat of the sun so you would expect it to produce far less usable heat in the winter. A solar installation generates clean renewable energy year round.