Solar Panels In Massachusetts

Solar Panels still produce some electricity during cloudy days from indirect and UV light, but their production is reduced to around 15-30% of what they would create in direct sunlight.

Snow and Ice are rarely an issue for a properly installed and maintained solar panel system. Solar panels generate a good amount of heat through their operation and will usually melt any snowfall or ice accumulation. Solar panels are also almost always installed at an angle so snow and ice will generally slide right off. If your panels become entirely blocked by snow or ice, however, they will not generate power, the same as with any other debris that might cover your panels.

In most cases, your solar panels will get a good cleaning every time it rains. However, if you’re in an area that doesn’t get rain very often, you can use a garden hose, a large sponge, and mild dish soap to clean your solar panels. Never use harsh chemicals, pressure washers, or any abrasives that might scratch the surface of your panels. Many solar panel installation companies will also offer inexpensive panel cleaning and maintenance.

Solar panels have a typical lifespan of 25 to 30 years. Once solar panels reach this point they begin to decline in efficiency. However, with recent advances in solar panel technology, it could make more sense to replace your solar panels in 10 years to maximize the improved efficiency.

Solar panels, or solar photovoltaic panels, transform sunlight into usable energy by converting the light into an electric field that then flows into a conductive wire.  The conductive wire flows into the inverter which then transforms the electricity to an alternating current which can then be used to power a property.

You can read our full article about how solar panels work here.

A typical residential solar panel is rated to produce between 250 and 400 watts of power per hour. Your average solar panel systems have between 1 kW and 4 kW capacity. Solar panels’ output varies depending on a number of factors, such as their capacity, size, location, and shade conditions. For example, a 4 kW solar panel system on an average-sized house can produce around 2,500 to 2,850 kWh of electricity in a year.