Do I need to remove the snow off the solar panel?
We do not recommend this method. Some people choose to clean their arrays but we warn anyone who decides to do this to be cautious and be aware that any damages caused by the homeowner won’t be covered under the warranty of 25 year warranty on the panels. If you do decide to clear the snow, ensure not to scratch your panels using an easy roof rake instead of a steel one. Be sure not to damage any electrical parts by staying clear of conduits and the bottom of your solar panel. Also, stepping up on a roof that is snowy could put you at risk of injury which is not what anyone wants. Be sure to take care of yourself! In the majority of cases when the sun shines out after snowfall the black, tempered glass surface of solar panels will begin to heat and clear much more quickly than the other roofs. We have designed our solar systems with the possibility of heavy snowfall in the back of our minds. All of our arrays (roof as well as ground and canopies) are built to withstand the most severe conditions that Northeast winters can bring at them.
But aren’t the solar panels suppose to generate electricity?
The production of your system will drop during winter, when your solar panels are covered in snow, however our engineers have developed the system keeping in mind Northeast winter in in mind! We take into account the amount of sunlight your home gets throughout the year. The system will produce more than it needs to in summer, which allows you to build up credit which will help you through the dark winter days. So, don’t fret about snow accumulation on your solar, you’ll get back on track when the sun shines again.
I’ve heard that solar power is more efficient when it is clear and snow-free winter days. What is the reason?
The heat can be a problem for electronics during summer! Therefore, the winter months offer slightly higher efficiency in energy production. Even with that great realisation, the shorter hours, the snowfall, and the less direct sunlight can reduce the total daily production.
I’ve received the “Alert Notification” email from SolarEdge. What’s the matter?
SolarEdge recently launched an email alerts system which will notify you if there is there is no activity. These alerts are especially useful during the summer months, but in winter, if the panels have been covered in accumulations of snow, they could be too active. If you are receiving this alert even though your panels appear to be completely free of snow, have a an examination of the tutorial on troubleshooting or contact the Customer Support team.
