We have had a couple of customers ask why they aren’t generating any solar power at the moment. Don’t worry, it is unlikely that your panels have been damaged by the recent snow.

Instead, you probably still have some snow on a part of your solar array. Just as shading can cause a problem with the output, snow is worse. Snow completely prevents light from getting to the area of solar panel that it is covering. Even if the rest of the solar array is clear of snow, a small covered area acts like a blockage in a pipe and prevents any current flowing through that section and therefore prevents the whole array from generating power.

If you are able to safely reach your panels from a ladder and brush the snow off the panels, you should find that they immediately start generating power again.

If the cold snap continues and the snow does not thaw, then you might be losing out, particularly as we are having some cold, sunny days at the moment, which are good for generating power.

Since we brushed the snow off our panels on Friday, we have generated around 15 kWh (worth just over £6 from the Feed In Tariff), but only about 0.5% of what we are expecting for the year. If you cannot safely get up to the roof yourself and would like us to come and brush your panels for you, we would have to charge around £20-25 to cover time and transport costs so it is probably not worthwhile at this time of year. However, if you would like us to do this for you, either now or in the future, please contact us. Alternatively, find a helpful neighbour with a long ladder and pay them with a nice mug of mulled wine !