Contrary to popular belief, solar not only works in the winter, but it has the potential to perform even better than Spring and Summer sun-drenched months. This is because solar panels are each individual electronic devices, and like most electronics, they perform better in cold conditions than drastically sunny and hot environments.

Think of your cell phone. Have you ever been at the beach, your cell phone parked on your beach blanket, and felt how hot the battery felt? The same thing happens with solar photo-voltaic modules.

However, on a cold sunny day, the panels do not have to battle heat indexes to maintain their efficiency. That is not to say there there aren’t issues with solar performance during the winter. However, because of the aforementioned benefits of higher performance temperatures, many solar systems see these issues cancelled out.

Lastly, there is the factor of “banking” your unused solar credits from higher producing months. In months where temperatures are mild (such as in the 60’s), and there is ample sunshine, your system likely produced more than you consumed. Check with your local utility net meter provider to see how excess solar generation is recorded.