Get Your Off-Grid Solar System Ready for Winter
If you plan to prepare for winter, it’s the best way to extend your off-grid solar system’s life, especially if you’re living in a snowy area where the weather gets extremely cold and there are no signs of the sun coming out for days and weeks. So, before the winter season, you must prepare yourself mentally for any kind of situation. Some of the things mentioned below are required for you to take good care of.
- Tilt Angle of the Panels
In winter, it is a rare sight to see the sun in any part of the day. So, if the sun comes out, your solar panels must be tilted at the best possible angle to generate some power. A suitable tilt angle is all a solar system needs in order to work well and it’s up to you to decide what’s best for your panels depending upon the storage available and the number of sun hours each day in your area. Experts suggest that 15 degrees are the best angle for the panels to perform at their level best.
- Clean the Panels Regularly
If you’re living in a snowy area, you must clean your panels on a regular basis in order for them to stay away from snow as much as possible because if this isn’t the case, panels will not have enough sunlight to generate the required power which in turn will lead you to import electricity from national grid which is a bit expensive. So, keeping the panels clean is the ultimate way to take care of the efficiency.
- Off-Grid Batteries
As far as the batteries are concerned, you may keep them in an area which is a bit cold. Despite the fact that the capacity of batteries becomes less in colder environments, it’s the only option available. Temperature sensors must be used for these batteries in order to keep the batteries charged and not letting them freeze. If the temperature becomes as low as -10 °F, a 50% charged battery will freeze which in turn will cause problems. Also, don’t let the sulfuric acid in the batteries stratify. All these factors will help you in knowing how to use Off-Grid Solar System in colder environments.
How Many Solar Panels are Required in Winter?
In such a season when weather is unpredictable and sun hours are less, it’s a good idea to install as many solar panels as you can afford to keep things going for your home or workplace. The reason is that if you get even a single sunny day in a week, your panels will generate enough power to be used for the entire week but the condition is that you must keep the demand for energy less. Otherwise, you may suffer because of this issue.
Want to talk to Australia’s most trusted Solar retailer?
At AusPac Solar, we think it’s important to provide our customers with the highest quality Solar Panel Installation and electrical work that come with the promise of ongoing servicing and maintenance support.
If you would like to discuss any of the points above or you are just wanting to engage with a genuine, customer-focused solar company that will deliver a solar installation at a fair and reasonable price, give our friendly team a call on 1300 197 237 or contact us here and one of our solar experts will be in touch.
