Solar panels will produce the most power when the light hits the panel at 90 degrees (perpendicular). Some solar panel system will utilize motors to move the panels throughout the day to make sure that it is always facing the sun. For most residential installations, it is not economical to utilize a sun tracking system.

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If you’re a residential solar panel owner who has a on-grid system, we recommend that you do nothing! Solar panels are built to absorb sunlight, so they will most likely melt any collected snow once the sun is up.

If your solar panel installation is for an office building, we recommend that the snow be cleaned off when its convenient. This is because most office buildings have flat roofs and easy access. The incremental amount of work involved with scraping off the snow is usually worth it.

An on-grid system is connected to your local electrical grid. This system works by using a two-way electrical meter. When your house or building needs more energy than what the solar panels are generating, the system pulls extra electricity from the grid.

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An off-grid system is completely independent of your local electrical grid. This type of system will need to include some form of energy storage (usually batteries) so that one can produce energy during the day, and have enough stored for use during the night.

Click here to learn more about the different types of systems.