Snow is bad, but hail storms destroy solar panels.
Exactly, and especially in Texas, where you are guaranteed at least one hailstorm every year, it’s dumb to get solar panels.
Panels in the US must be able to withstand 1” hail stones at 100MPH. That doesn’t happen very often. I got solar so I would have some power if the grid went down. We have had a couple power outages due to ice or wind but I never had even a blink in my service because I have a very substantial battery bank.
My system is free, kind of. It has paid for itself and now is paying me basically a couple hundred bucks or so a month in reduced electricity costs. The system cost me about $30k after you figure the government subsidy tax break. I didn’t have to pay any taxes at all for a few years.
Anyway Solar is a hassle that I am willing to put up with for the promise of security. I’m old now and the reduced monthly expenditure is appreciated.
Yes from time to time I have snow and or ice, but the sun usually melts it off with a day. If I were completely depending on the Solar for all my electricity I would likely clean the snow and or ice off. If I had to I could just get the garden hose out and spray it off. I dont usually have to do anything, the batteries supply what I need and the solar cells will make up for whatever I lost once they are producing again.
We get hail storms sufficient to destroy roofs and cars in eastern Idaho. Solar panels are easy prey to that level of hail.