Worried about those clouds over your home? They may not have as big of an impact on your solar power as you think.
Some homeowners are concerned that their homes simply aren’t viable for solar power options. After all, no matter how much they may want to invest in clean energy and save money, there’s just too many clouds in their area. The good news is that, even in cloudy climates, solar power can still offer you tremendous value. We can take a look at somewhere like the United Kingdom as an example–despite its typically cloudy atmosphere, their solar panels recently outperformed coal burning in terms of how much power was created. Let’s take a look at the compatibility of solar panels and those overcast skies you may be living under.
Usable Sunlight Still Gets Through
It’s certainly true that the most straightforward and powerful fuel for a solar panel is direct sunlight, which comes in a direct path straight from the sun. Panels can also use “diffuse sunlight” to generate solar power though. This is sunlight that has collided with other things in the sky–like haze, dust, and yes, clouds–and has been broadly scattered before getting to your roof. Solar panels can even utilize “reflected sunlight,” which is when sunlight is reflected off of buildings or the ground before hitting your panels.
Looking at Total Output
You may experience a cloudy day, month, or even season, but that doesn’t negate the overall value of solar panels. If you want to measure your solar panel’s success, you want to look at how much it reduces your overall use of grid electricity, not just in particular seasons or months. This is especially the case if you use solar batteries to hold onto that energy when you don’t really need it. Your panels will produce enough energy that even during off-seasons where the weather may be more overcast than usual, you’ll still have some power saved up for when you need it.
Clouds Could Even Have Benefits!
For this, let’s take a comparison between San Francisco and Sacramento. San Francisco is typically foggy and cooler than Sacramento, which gets sunnier and hotter throughout the year. That said, San Francisco panels produce more solar power on average than Sacramento does. This is in part because San Francisco’s cooler temperatures allow solar panels to function more efficiently.
Contact JC Solar & Roof Today!
If you have any needs, contact JC Solar, LLC. at 443-204-6551 or by email at eric@jcsolarroofing.com. Our solar powered products will help make your life easy, environmentally safe, and cost efficient! We’re conveniently located in Marriottsville, Maryland and proudly serve all of Maryland as well as Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington DC and Arizona. Contact us today!
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