Since solar panels collect light and not heat, the coming cold weather will not cause your energy savings to completely freeze. However, the days are noticeably shorter and cloudier, so that means less sunlight for your panels. Add a layer of snow on top of that and you'll definitely notice a marked difference in performance.
So, what can be done? Decreased daylight hours - well, there's not much anyone can do about that. But as long as the sun is shining, the panels will absorb energy. Even in overcast conditions, the panels will still absorb reflective light.
And what if it snows? Snow isn't all bad - sparkling snow gives off a good deal of usable reflective light. Also, the tilt of your array and the slickness of the panels' surface should be enough that most of the snow will slide off. Plus, the solar panels themselves warm up quickly in the sun and will help melt any snow. If the snow becomes unusually heavy, you can always use a slightly modified roof rake (sold in hardware stores) with a squeegee-type blade affixed to carefully sweep off any snow that is hampering production.
In any event, cold conditions do not mean that your solar panels are not still working hard for you. As is true for most electronics, solar panels actually perform better in colder conditions.
Case in point: NASA uses solar panels in space and at an average temperature of -455°F, those are some cold panels! Simply put: the colder the material, the better it will conduct electricity.



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