Robin Whitlock investigates just how efficient solar panels are in winter, how much energy they can generate and the use of a battery storage system to store excess electricity
As energy costs soar, and more and more homeowners are considering installing solar panels on their roof in a bid to save on energy bills, it’s only right to question how they will work and how much energy they can generate, day to day. This is especially pertinent during the winter months because the UK weather can be temperamental and we’re prone to dull, cloudy days.
So, do solar panels on your roof work in winter? The simple answer is yes. Despite the sun being lower in the sky, and the days being potentially cloudier and rainier, solar panels will still generate electricity, just not as much electricity as they would during summer because the amount of daylight is reduced. However, you can help compensate for the lack of sunlight by adding a battery storage system to your solar panel array (read more on the following page). But solar panels will still work during winter. And here’s why…
HOW DO SOLAR PANELS WORK?
Firstly, it’s worth understanding how solar panels work. Solar panels are made from wafers of silicon, a semiconducting material in which electrons are stimulated in response to photons of light, thereby generating electrical energy. And not just direct sunlight but all light, because solar cells will also react to diffuse light, which is light that has been scattered by particles, such as rain clouds, in the atmosphere. Which is why solar panels will still operate in the winter months, without direct sunlight. Indeed, rainy weather can potentially benefit solar panels by washing away accumulated dirt and grime on the surfaces that would otherwise restrict the amount of light, enabling the panels to work efficiently.
Solar panels generally need at least four hours of direct sunlight to operate at their peak performance. According to Yes Energy Solutions, this is based on 1,000W/m2of sunlight for peak output. However, as mentioned previously, this doesn’t mean that solar panels won’t work at all in anything less than direct sunlight. In fact, just this year, scientists at Stanford University in the US developed solar panels that actually work at night, using infrared light.
In general, the most suitable roof for a sol
