Almost 70% of homeowners that don’t have solar power have expressed interest in going solar. With rates this high, why aren’t we seeing a faster rate of green energy adoption across the country?
Despite the rising popularity of solar technology, there are still a lot of misunderstandings. Homeowners aren’t sure about the cost of solar or how solar panels might impact the appearance of their property. They don’t know how to account for solar panel efficiency.
Today, we’re going to answer one of the most pressing questions homeowners have. Do solar panels require direct sunlight?
Read on to learn everything you need to know about solar panels, partial shade, cloudy days, and more.
How Do Solar Panels Work?
Let’s talk about the basics of solar technology. To start, the sun’s rays produce photons, an energy source that can be harnessed and turned into electricity.
Solar panels collect photons and convert them into a form of energy called direct current. Then, a piece of technology called solar inverter converts the direct current into something called an alternating current.
The alternating current (AC) is what your home can use as an energy source. This will power everything from your lights to your heating and cooling to your appliances and outlets.
With enough AC, solar energy can replace all of your home’s electrical use so that you no longer need to rely on your local power grid.
Do Solar Panels Require Direct Sunlight?
Now you know that as a starting place, solar panels require photons from the sun’s rays to create your home’s energy source. Can you expect solar panels to run efficiently if they don’t receive direct sunlight?
The answer isn’t as simple as you might expect. Depending on the type of solar panels you have, the panels need 1000 watts of photons per square meter (W/m2) to reach their maximum energy output.
While newer solar panels can often create more energy with less sunlight, you’re only going to hit that maximum when peak sunlight falls on your panels. In other words, they do need direct sunlight to meet their full potential for energy conversion.
That said, indirect sunlight will also produce photons. Indirect sunlight does yield a drop in performance, but your solar panels can still produce a smaller amount of energy.
What Impacts Solar Panel Efficiency the Most?
The takeaway is that the absence of direct sunlight won’t inherently leave your home powerless. However, it is one of the factors that will impact the efficiency of your solar panels and their ability to power your home with alternative energy. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most important elements of an efficient solar panel system.
Duration of Sunlight
In an ideal situation, solar panels get about four sun hours per day. That means that for four hours, they’re sitting below direct sunlight. If you get less than that on some days, you’re not going to lose power, but you want to hit that four-hour mark as often as possible.
The good news is that there are more places to install solar panels than on your rooftop. Innovative solar power solutions give homeowners better options when they have a shaded roof or the pitch isn’t south-facing.
Solar Technology and Setup
Standard solar panels will see the biggest reduction in efficiency in partial shade. Newer solar panels that use half-cut photovoltaic cells can handle partial shade much better, meaning you won’t see that same drop in production on a cloudy day.
The same goes for newer solar inverter technology. With a standard inverter system, partial shade on a single solar panel will impact every panel in your system. With newer inverter systems, any panel in direct sunlight will perform well even if other panels are in full or partial shade.
Solar Panels and Your Local Climate
Maybe you’re less concerned about the pitch of your roof and more concerned about your local climate. Can you enjoy solar power in a region that tends to get a lot of inclement weather? Let’s take a look at the impact that different types of weather patterns have on solar panel output.
Cloud Cover
Some cities, like Pittsburgh and Seattle, have a lot of cloudy days throughout the year. What happens to your solar panels on cloudy days?
On a day with dense cloud coverage, when the sun is nowhere to be seen, your solar panels may not convert a lot of new energy. However, cloud cover doesn’t often block the sun’s rays completely. Your solar panels may continue to produce anywhere from 10-60% of their total energy output on a cloudy day.
Rain
Solar panels have waterproof protection, meaning that rainfall isn’t going to cause any damage. In fact, if pollen or dust has accumulated on your solar panels, a little rainfall will help clean them up and boost efficiency.
The correlation between a rainy day and low solar power output has everything to do with cloud coverage. If it’s dark and stormy, you may not see a ton of energy conversion. If it’s sprinkling but the sun is shining, you’re not going to see a major drop in production.
Snow
What if you get a ton of snow in the winter? Once again, there is no one-size-fits-all answer here. It all depends on cloud coverage and, in this case, accumulation.
Solar panels should shed snowfall with ease thanks to their design and pitch. Sunlight can pass through a light dusting of snow, too. However, several inches of dense snow on your panels will prevent energy conversion. (The good news is that the accompanying cold weather won’t since solar panels tend to perform better in low temperatures than in high temperatures.)
Talk to Solar Experts About Your Solar Panel Options
Do solar panels require direct sunlight? Direct sunlight allows your solar technology to do the best job it can do. Talk to your local solar experts about solutions if you’re worried about partial shade.
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