WHY WINTER IS GREAT FOR SOLAR, PART 3: SNOW

In our last couple of posts, we talked about how solar panels perform with winter cold and cloudiness.

Now, let's look into one final (and surprising) way in which winter is actually a great season for solar.

III. Snow

Finally, some think that snow keeps solar panels from working altogether.

It is true that, if some piles up on top of panels, they won't absorb all the sunlight hitting them.

But they'll still absorb most of it.

Actually, solar panels are made of material that melts snow much faster than regular rooftop tiles or shingles.

This means that the snow will melt away before it seriously affects the panels' performance.

Another thing: most solar installations tilt the panels at 30 to 45 degrees, which gets most of the snow to simply slide off before it even begins to accumulate.

And also (this doesn't always happen, but it's pretty cool when it does): on clear winter days, if enough snow piles up on the ground, it can reflect extra sunlight onto the solar panels, boosting their production.