Time to shine: summer is coming and solar is the way to go

Time to shine and install solar on your roof

With the summer season comes great potential for much higher power generation from your solar panel system. It’s a little more complicated than just having more sun overall, but in essence, the longer summer days allow solar power systems to provide homes and buildings with higher amounts of AC power generation. How else does summer affect solar PV systems?

Longer daylight hours

When you take into account all the factors that affect system efficiency and power generation, there is probably none more important than the sheer amount of sunshine you have access to. That is truly where the summer season… well… shines.

In the US, daylight hours usually range from under 14 hours in some states to over 16 hours in others during the summer. That’s around two-thirds of each day during which your panels can generate power for your home. Some PV system owners report a loss of as much as 80% power generation in winter (based on a monthly average) compared to the output they had during certain summer or spring months.

Clearer skies

During the summer and spring seasons, most areas typically have fairer weather and clearer skies compared to other seasons of the year. Simply put, the absence of clouds is beneficial to solar power systems because the sun’s rays are unobstructed. Sure, solar systems can still generate power at a certain percentage even during cloudy days, but clear skies are definitely better.

Placement matters

If you want to make the most of the summer sun’s rays, you have to optimize the angle of your solar panels. You already know that the correct placement affects how much power can be produced by the system. Summer means another adjustment, as the angle of the sun’s path is higher during this season. Consult your PV provider for the optimal angle of your panels during each season.

Temperature issues

While clear skies and and longer periods of uninterrupted sunlight are great for your solar PV system, extremely high temperatures aren’t. The generation gains you may have during the summer can be offset by the heat affecting the panels’ performance.

There are ways around this, of course. You can select solar panel equipment that has a high temperature coefficient value. This coefficient is usually in negative values, which means you need to pick one which is closer to zero. This means it can perform at a high level even when the temperature outside gets too hot to handle.

It’s worth noting that your general location still affects how differently your PV system’s output is affected by the changing seasons. There are still some locations where there really isn’t much difference between seasons in terms of the solar generation output you’ll get from your system.

Summer is a great time for solar panel owners. There is a great opportunity to enjoy maximum efficiency and power generation from your PV-fed systems thanks to the longer hours with sunlight and clear skies.

Call us or contact us online at Renewable Energy Corporations to make sure you are achieving maximal energy output from your solar system for the season. We will advise you how can optimize your system so that it will continually provide power to your home in the most efficient way.