How Rainy Days Affect Your Solar Panels
With the start of June, comes the start of the rainy season here in the Philippines! Though there’s an assumption that solar panels are meant only for sunny days, did you know that isn’t entirely true? But how does the weather or the rainy season actually affect your solar panels or your solar photovoltaic (pv) system?
First things first, solar panels generate electricity by harnessing the sunlight. But, the rainy season does not necessarily equate to zero solar production, as a matter of fact, solar panels can still produce 30% to 50% of their maximum power when it’s cloudy and 10% to 20% of its optimal production when there’s heavy rain.
There’s still a lot more to learn! Here are 5 things to know about solar pv systems and how the rainy season affects them:
1. Rain Can Help Clean Your Solar Panels:
Since solar panels are installed on top of your roof, it is prone to dust and debris from time to time and may need some regular cleaning, too. If you don’t have the time to maintain or have it maintained yet, the rain helps washes off the loose dirt or dust, thus improving its efficiency.
But take note, that algae or moss that may have built up on your panels can’t be washed off by rain, so make sure to still clean it or get in touch with your solar installer to have it maintained!
2. The Right Type and Brand of Solar Panels Matters:
Solar panels aren’t all the same, to get the best of your solar pv system despite the changes in the weather, choosing the right components is important. For low light or cloudy days, Monocrystalline solar panels work better compared to Polycrystalline’s. Other brands are also designed to ensure that they can tolerate low shading with a competitive efficiency, so look into this, as well, when choosing a system for your home.
3. Solar Panels Protect Your Roof:
Installing solar panels is usually believed to damage the roof, but, contrary to that popular belief, solar panels can actually provide better protection to your roof! As long as the solar panels are installed correctly and properly, the panels can help your roof last longer. But you may be wondering how, well, once it’s installed, the Solar Panels will now divert the rainfall from the roof. It can also serve as shade for your roof on sunny days, hence making it a great protection through sunny and rainy days!
4. Rackings or Mountings are Important on Rainy Days:
With how often typhoons hit the Philippines, a quality installation with quality rackings or mountings is important! And we’ve heard of horror stories where people removed their solar panels to prepare for storms, but is it actually necessary to? It is not! A quality installation uses rackings, mountings, or those framings that hold that solar panels with consideration of rainy days and even super typhoons.
We’re taking our installations for example, our rackings are designed to withstand up to 270 kilometers per hour (kph), which is within the usual speed of super typhoons which is from 185 kph and above.
5. Brownouts or Blackouts During Typhoon Won’t Affect Your System
One of the questions we usually get from our clients is if it’s necessary for them to turn off their solar pv system during brownouts our blackouts. And if you’re wondering the same, the answer is most inverters shuts down automatically during the said instances. In that case, you don’t really need to worry for your solar pv system when it’s rainy!
With all of that being said, the rainy days really has its pros and cons, just like everything else in life. But as we always believe here in Buskowitz Energy, a quality installation is the best investment you can make for your home! Whether it is about savings, safety, or convenience, a quality solar pv system is your best option.
Are you ready to sleep through the storm? Let Buskowitz Energy help you do it, literally and figuratively! Learn more about what we do through our blogs atwww.buskowitz.com or you may reach out to our solar experts at info@buskowitz.com to kickstart your solar journey with Buskowitz Energy today.