Overheard a guy at the hardware store say solar panels are a scam because they don't work in winter

I was grabbing some insulation for my attic and heard him telling the cashier that panels just sit there useless when it's cloudy, but I've been tracking my neighbor's Enphase system all year and she generated 47% of her power between November and February, so how do you even respond to someone that dug in?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ruby13d ago

I had a similar conversation with my uncle who swore solar was a waste in winter. I just pulled up the data from my own system on my phone and showed him the numbers from December and January. People forget that cold temps actually make panels more efficient, and snow slides off pretty quick if they're mounted right. The shorter days do cut production but it's not like they just stop working. Sometimes you just have to show them the proof on paper or a screen instead of arguing. If they still don't believe actual meter readings then they probably don't want to be convinced anyway.

briancampbell13d ago

Read somewhere that solar panels actually produce more electricity per hour of sunlight in winter because the cold makes them more efficient, so even with shorter days you're still getting something. Hard to argue with real data off someone's own meter.