Going solar is a huge decision, and it isn’t one you should take lightly. You probably have a lot of questions, so we’ll do our best to give you the answers you need. One big question that weighs on people’s minds is: how do solar panels hold up in inclement weather? Read on to find out.
Extreme heat and cold aren’t a problem for solar panels. Unless you live somewhere extremely hot, your solar panels are safe from overheating—their efficiency decreases when their temperature is 148 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. On the other hand, solar panels often function more efficiently when it’s cold outside.
Heavy rain is the least of your worries when it comes to solar panels. If you have a roof-mounted system, the main danger of heavy rain—flash flooding—is completely absent. If your home does not allow for roof-mounted panels, you don’t need to worry. Solar installers take flooding into account when designing a ground-mounted solar panel system. Heavy rain should not affect the life expectancy of your solar panels in the least.
High winds, hurricanes, and tornadoes are natural occurrences that could damage your solar panels. While all your panels will be well secured to your roof, winds over 170 miles per hour cancause damage. However, at that speed, that wind could wreak havoc on just about any home, with or without solar panels.
Hail is a scary natural phenomenon whether or not you have thousands of dollars of equipment on your roof. Luckily, as you’ve seen with all the previous examples, solar panels are built tough.
When the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Colorado campus was struck by a hailstorm, the built-in resilience of its solar panels was put to the test. In the end, only one of 3,000 solar panels suffered any severe damage.
Now that you know how solar panels hold up in inclement weather, contact a local solar installer and get a quote today.