Solar power is here to stay. According to the Clean Energy Council, over three million people in Australia have solar panels installed.
(Source https://www.csiro.au/en/news/news-releases/2021/australia-installs-record-breaking-number-of-rooftop-solar-panels).
In this blog, we walk you through the basics of solar panels and discuss how they work in less than perfect conditions, like cloudy days that don’t offer full sunlight.
How Solar Panel Systems Operate on Cloudy Days
Your solar power system converts the sunshine into electricity to power your home. The system provides with an energy surplus on sunny days, and although cloudy days won’t give a large amount of clean energy, you will still get enough to keep things running smoothly.
When rain follows cloudy weather, you might think that you should consider installing a backup system. Here’s some trivia: the rain adds to your solar panel’s efficiency. Rains help wash away dirt and dust accumulated on or around your panels, letting them absorb sunlight more efficiently. It is also advantageous to get solar panels in less direct sunlight as they are cheaper than in areas with higher sunlight yield or quality.
Do Cloudy Days Affect the Output of Your Solar Panel Systems?
There are times when solar panels won’t work: storms, dark and overcast days. Even though you may get less sunlight during these times, panels can continue to produce power. Solar panels convert sunlight into a direct current that supplies power to the house in the form of alternating current.
According to different sources, on cloudy days, your system could generate 50% of its output on a clear day and even 25% of the sun’s energy during the darkest days.
Solar penetration during cloudy days
Since more sunlight will mean more electricity produced by a panel, cloudy days are less efficient in electricity production because they naturally bring cloudy weather.
However, overall efficiencies generally only drop about 10%- 20% due to this factor. One way to effectively employ revocable options for your panels’ system is through using solar batteries and net metering systems.
Solar panels and efficiency
When rain follows cloudy weather, you might think that you should consider installing a backup system. Here’s some trivia: the rain adds to your solar panels’ efficiency. This is because it helps wash away dirt and dust accumulated on or around your panels to let them absorb sunlight more efficiently.
