We attended an excellent but rather wet and windy Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show yesterday at the Motcombe Showground. Our well-tethered marquee held up well (as did our staff) and provided shelter for those seeking a moment out of the rain as well as the curious and the interested. In the 15 years I have been around the solar industry I am still surprised to hear the comment ‘I wouldn’t want to be selling solar in the rain’ and ‘I doubt that is working in this weather’.
For those non-believers and curious I am pleased to confirm that despite our rather damp and sodden summer, solar PV still works well.
Solar panels react to the radiation from the sun not the heat, and a cloudy day with fluffy cumulus clouds can actually increase the power from solar panels above that of a clear English summers day by reflecting the radiation back to panels a number of times. In fact some of the best readings from solar panels have come in snowy scandinavian weather, once the snow is cleared off of course, but as the panels are tilted it soon slides off.
Other things do indeed effect solar panel performance such as dust clouds in the desert so a good cocoa broom is always handy and I am sure too that there will be a market for window cleaners brave enough and well trained enough to give UK solar powered homes and businesses a wipe down once or twice a year.
In essence solar is a good year round investment, come rain, come shine!
Looking for current information?
Explore Futurum’s present services or contact the North Yorkshire team about your system.