Home Features Our Town Ask A Builder Ask a Builder: How well do solar panels work in the winter?

December 26, 2013.  NewsMiner.com By Cold Climate Housing Research Center staff. FAIRBANKS — Q: Do solar panels work in the winter? A: There are two types of solar panels on the market today. Solar thermal panels provide space heating and domestic hot water. They work by piping a fluid through the panels, where it is warmed by the sun's rays. The fluid then transfers that heat back into a water tank in a home. The other type of solar panel is a photovoltaic (PV) panel, which converts solar radiation into electricity. Both solar thermal panels and solar PV panels require the sun's rays to "work," or produce heat or electricity. In Alaska, the sun is a great energy resource during the summer months. While Alaskans still need hot water for showering and laundry during the summer, space heating loads are small. Likewise, electricity loads are much higher in the winter, when we run heating appliances, plug in our cars and use heat tape to prevent pipes from freezing. So do solar panels work during the winter, when we need them most? Solar panels will not work if there is no sun at all. If you live above the Arctic Circle, your panels will go offline completely for a portion of the year. In other locations solar panels can work year-round, depending on the type of panel and amount of sunlight.
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