Yes, solar panels work in the winter. In fact, solar panels can generate electricity in almost any type of weather. Cold weather doesn’t affect solar panel performance (unless temperatures go below -40°C), since they operate on sunlight, which is still available in winter in the UK – albeit, at much lower levels than in the summer.
With the sun setting earlier and rising later, solar panels have fewer hours to capture sunlight and convert it into electricity. This reduced exposure to sunlight directly affects the amount of energy your panels can generate. Lower Sun Angle: In many regions, the winter sun also sits lower in the sky compared to the summer months.
According to our calculations, solar panel output decreases by around 83% in the winter compared to the summer. To give an idea of what that means, a standard 3.5 kilowatt (kW) solar panel system will produce around 362-kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per month during the summer. In winter, that drops to 52 kWh.
Cold weather doesn’t affect solar panel performance (unless temperatures go below -40°C), since they operate on sunlight, which is still available in winter in the UK – albeit, at much lower levels than in the summer. This is one reason why solar panels generate less electricity in winter – the days are just shorter.
Solar panel performance drops during the winter months because the days are shorter, the sun is lower in the sky, and the weather is more overcast. This means the solar panels are exposed to less sunlight, which means they’re unable to generate as much electricity as they do on long, sunny days.
Despite the sun being lower in the sky, and the days being potentially cloudier and rainier, solar panels will still generate electricity, just not as much electricity as they would during summer because the amount of daylight hours is reduced. But, they will still work. And here’s why. Understanding how solar panels work is important first.