A common question many homeowners interested in solar ask is, which seasons make solar the most efficient?
There are many answers to this question depending on the average climate in which the solar panels are located, the positioning of the solar energy panels on the house’s roof, the age and condition of the solar panel, and the wattage/efficiency rating of the panel itself.
However, there is a more simplified way of looking at seasonal benefits to help homeowners use solar energy panels with maximum efficiency. Orange County Solar would never want our customers to face any unexpected expenses from the solar system designed specifically to save money!
Orange County Solar energy panels are installed with the highest quality pv solar in the Orange County homeowners’ market. These premium solar energy panels are rated to work in certain sets of conditions, with temperature being a main factor. Orange County Solar installs solar panels that can withstand low, rainy temperatures in the winter, up to high temperatures on dry and bright summer days. While the solar panel is designed to reach a certain level of efficiency, this can differ with the seasonal changes.
Some of the seasonal elements can affect the amount of energy solar panels produce by:
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Location
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Weather
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Time of Day
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Outside temperature
Location
The positioning of the sun changes through the year, marking the points when the sun will radiate the most heat, or conversely, display a lower intensity. The sun is most prevalent in the summer months, from June until mid-September. This means that if solar panels are directly facing the sun’s surface in the summer months, this is the optimum time for the solar energy panel to collect and produce the most energy.
The location of the actual solar energy panels on the home is a factor as well. Ensuring the panels have direct sunlight throughout the daytime is essential. To maximize your solar’s energy output, it is imperative to avoid shady spots and shadows that can occur throughout the day due to season changes. The more the panels are directly facing the surface of the sun with sunlight shining, the more energy they are able to produce.
Weather
Any Southern California weather condition that blocks the sun’s rays has some detrimental effect on solar energy’s output. An example of this is clouds. While it may still seem like the sun is shining bright through the misty clouds some days, the amount of intensity the sun is shining is actually much less. This will hinder the ability of the solar panels to produce maximum energy efficiency, simply because there is a lack of light the sun is emitting on cloudy and foggy days, therefore less energy is created.
Time of Day
California has an average of 5.82 peak sunlight hours. A “peak sun hour” is defined as one hour in which the intensity of sunlight reaches an average of 1,000 watts of energy per square meter. This gives a little less than 6 hours a day for solar energy panels to collect and output maximum amounts of energy. However, while panels receiving the maximum energy may only do this for a limited number of hours per day, this does not mean these solar panels are not still highly efficient overall! Orange County Solar panels are highly efficient with large amounts of energy output even in natural daylight! Add on a solar battery to existing solar energy panels and create the ability to store your own energy and use electricity even when the power is out in your area! Orange County Solar provides premium Panasonic solar batteries at an affordable rate.
Temperatures
An imperative fact to know about solar during the summer months is that extremely high temperatures during peak solar months can actually have a decrease in the solar energy output. On the contrary, fall months may produce even larger amounts of energy because less stress is being put on the system from high temperatures. At Orange County Solar, our solar battery and solar energy panel installation will be an experience you can smile about, especially knowing you have grid independence even on those cloudy days!
Questions Answered!
Overall, solar has an exceedingly great amount of benefits as opposed to many detriments of its use. Bright, intense sunlight with few clouds, and warm temperatures make the ideal weather conditions for maximum solar energy output for Orange County homeowners. However, every season has its benefit on solar when the solar energy panels are from a trusted installer!
Orange County Solar uses high quality solar products to create a flawless solar install from beginning to end. Instill trust in Orange County Solar for your next solar purchase. Call us for a free quote today! (949) 427-8817