solar power and snow

[Tom7227]

How do you get a solar system to work after a snow like we had this past week? Since there's a layer of ice under about 5+ inches of snow it would seem to be about impossible to get them to work. There's a article in today's Tribune about some house that supposedly doesn't need a furnace because they get so much from the solar system. Could get a little rough if the rig shuts down because of snow and ice.

[delcecchi]

How do you get a solar system to work after a snow like we had this past week? Since there's a layer of ice under about 5+ inches of snow it would seem to be about impossible to get them to work. There's a article in today's Tribune about some house that supposedly doesn't need a furnace because they get so much from the solar system. Could get a little rough if the rig shuts down because of snow and ice.

Some solar electicity systems have a pretty good slant to them. And solar heating systems might get warm enough to melt some of the snow, and tend to have a pretty good slant to them as well.

But it is foolish to not have some sort of backup for the sun. It can be cold and cloudy for a good while, and days are pretty short in winter.

[yoppdk]

Like has been stated, a solar panel needs to be repositioned throughout the year in order to optimize its exposure to the sun. This time of year the panels are oriented much more toward the horizon than in summer when they get positioned upwards to the higher sun. Our panels still get covered with snow despite the steep "winter" angle, but a windy day will often clear it off.