Why does nobody talk about how solar panels actually work in snow?

My buddy Dave in Minnesota told me last winter to stop worrying about snow covering my panels. I thought he was nuts because I spent $12k on a 6kW system and panicked every time it snowed. But he was right, the snow slides off fast enough and the albedo effect actually boosts production once it clears. I tracked my output last February and I generated 15% more than the installer predicted. Meanwhile my neighbor spent $500 on a roof rake and wasted his whole weekend. Has anyone else noticed their panels overperform in snowy months?

2 comments

2 Comments

graym4918d ago

Wait, did your neighbor really spend $500 on a roof rake? I had a 5.8kW system up in Vermont for three years and I learned this the hard way. The snow slides off after a day or two if your panels are tilted enough. I actually tracked my production during a February blizzard and saw a 20% spike once the snow melted because the fresh snow reflected extra light up to the panels. Just make sure your panels are angled at least 30 degrees and you're golden. If they're flat-ish, you might be stuck scraping, but for most people it's a non-issue.

taylor.paige18d ago

@graym49 the only thing I'm raking is my dignity after trying to scrape snow off my roof.