As winter sets in, the white stuff starts falling from the sky. Many of a critic of solar panels point out that this is why solar never works in Canada. And yes, unsurprisingly, solar panels covered with snow do not produce electricity. But what did surprise me is how easily snow slides off the panels and they start producing again.
As November turns to December, the white stuff is surely on its way. I must say, I kinda look forward to it, as that means ski-season is upon us, a wonderful way to blast away the winter blues. But alas the white stuff will cover the panels and block solar production. Indeed, my installer predicted November production to be about a quarter of summertime production, something that came true, looking at my solar system’s log’s.
One morning the white stuff had settled in and it was time to do some shovelling. As the panels were covered, the next two days of production were zero, but on the third day, it warmed up a little, and the snow slid right off. The temperature barely went above freezing, but it was enough to get snow off the panels and get them producing again, which they did.
It is worth noting that as the snow slid off the panels, it collected in the lane-way between my neighbours house. It did not create a hazard, similar to what might be expected if a icicle falls from the roof-line, it kinda fluffed a bit as it fell. I suspect if I had been underneath the falling snow, it would not have been a safety hazard, a bit of a nuisance perhaps but no hazard, and nowhere near a falling icicle which has happened in the past. That said, it might be wise to think about how the snow is going to slide off when designing your system.
At the end of the day, winter does reduce production of your solar panels. Thankfully Ontario is a “summer-peaking” province, thus Toronto hydro will appreciate my solar system come summertime (source).
Electric car adventures 