wow that is some blizzard conditions there...
total white out
It doesn’t matter. The EVs wouldn’t run anyway.
Another thing, I live in Indiana. We only get about 40% of possible sunshine in the winter. The rest of the time it is cloudy. You don’t get mmuch solar energy if you can’t see the sun.
The solution is simple! Just make sure you have natural gas or diesel powered heaters that will melt the snow off of the panels 24x7. Or you can have electric heaters powered by electricity generated by a stable power source like coal or natural gas.
The problem with solar is that is can be gotten at no charge. That does not set well big corporations.
Thank you.
You don’t understand, you’re not supposed to need electricity on days like this. /s
Snow is bad, but hail storms destroy solar panels.
Who needs electricity/heat in the winter, duh? 🤔
Of course the day could come when it makes sense for other places...places farther from the equator and with less sunshine. But that's in the future,not now.
Solar panels are really a good idea in places that get 320+ days of sunshine per year.
They are a really bad idea in places around the Great Lakes that get a lot of overcast weather. Those perpetually gray days.
Cold weather is actually good for solar panels. They are more efficient at colder temperatures.
My daughter and son in law have an array similar to the one in your picture. They live in south central NH. June, July and August are their peak production months for their solar array. However, even in the winter, as soon as the sun comes out the panels heat up and the snow slides right off. Only one year did they have to go out and clear out the snow that piled up at the base of array on the ground.
NH’s weather is different than the midwest. We will get a storm that comes through. Then it will clear out into the ocean and we will have bright sunny days in the middle of the winter.
FYI, my daughter bought their array when there was a 30% Federal income tax credit. There was also a one time state of NH incentive that year. They have had their array about six years now. He is an accountant by trade. He figures it will pay itself off in another 2-3 years.
Let me correct my original statement on my previous post.
Solar panels are a really good idea in places they get 320+ days of sunshine per year IF you get a 30% federal tax credit too.
For those of us without snow cover; dust, dirt, & leaves also cut the power produced, obviously not as much as snow cover. Still, you should keep solar panels clean.
Who likes to go up on the roof?
LOL, on the other end, when it gets over a certain temp - such as 110, the panels melt.
“Us” in the Southwest have several such days over the summer.
Looks like a typical snowstorm.
Yup. Snow (with clouds) = dark.
It *is* SOLAR power after all.
You should see the size of the solar array at the Intel site in Oregon.
Of course Oregon is well known for all its sunny days....
You just need to go sweep it off. It will work fine then. /s
These techs can have great success if used in their proper niche. Solar and Wind are decent (not great) supplements to the existing grid but it's a lousy solution to mandate their exclusive use.
Same with electric cars. Some people's life style is very favorable to owning an electric car. Say, if you live in an urban area and make a short commute and only drive short distances. That doesn't work for me, but the tech is solid for its proper use case.