School is back in session, and the temperatures are cooling. If you are considering solar for your home or business, this weather may cause you to question the value of solar in Wisconsin temperatures. We can assure you that even with our cold winters, going solar in Wisconsin does make sense. Solar systems are still productive, cost-effective, and a clean, sustainable energy source even in our cold and snowy months.
Solar panels rely on light and not heat to produce effectively.
The type of solar power that we use is generated by photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, which uses light to generate electricity directly. Placing solar panels in the scorching hot desert where the sun bakes everything is actually NOT the most efficient place to generate power with PV solar panels. “Sure, solar needs plenty of sunlight to work. But electronics – such as the equipment in a PV solar system – actually work more efficiently in cold weather, not just the dog days of summer.” – solartechnologies.com
The standard testing temperature for rating the wattage of PV solar panels is 77 degrees Fahrenheit. On a very hot day, solar panels gradually lose efficiency the higher the temperature climbs. Too much heat can actually hinder the electricity-making process and reduce the efficiency of electricity production. Even snow can help efficiency of a PV solar panel by reflecting sunlight back onto the panel.
Custom systems are designed with weather changes in mind.
Endries Solar and Electric intentionally and carefully designs your system to ensure you receive the greatest possible output. Our goal is to offset most or all of the electricity consumed at your home. We take into consideration your consumption, location, and the change of seasons. We customize your home or business’s installation so that the panels can be well-oriented to get the most sunlight, and tilted so that any snow will slide off or melt just as it would from your roof. We can install rooftop or ground mounted systems, depending on what best fits your needs. Both these types of systems work just as well throughout the fall and winter as they do in the summer, you just won’t produce quite as much as in the summer days when the sun is out longer.
Cost of solar in Wisconsin is more attractive than ever!
Since the cost of solar systems have dropped over 70% in the last decade, going solar is an affordable and cost-effective option for many Wisconsin households. The federal solar investment tax credit (ITC) is 30% of the installed cost of your solar panels and battery storage. Focus on Energy provides additional incentives through rebates. Once you’ve installed your solar system, your electric bills will be reduced and you immediately see the savings on your electric bills. Also, solar panels installed today can last 20-30 years or more with only a slight degradation (0.5%) in panel output every year. So your panels installed today will still produce 90% of their original power 20 years from now.
Wisconsin = Beer and Cheese
Why not add Solar? Check out this brochure with fun facts about Beer, Cheese and Solar from Renew Wisconsin: Beer_Cheese_Solar-04.23.2020.pdf (renewwisconsin.org)
Other Resource Links for this article:
Residential Solar FAQ May 22 (renewwisconsin.org)
Do solar panels use light or heat to generate electricity? (solartechnologies.com)