How much energy do solar panels produce....
- At night? ZERO! Solar panels do not produce electricity when it is dark or in bad weather. This makes solar unreliable and solar plants require 100% back up all the time by fossil fuels. In fact, battery technology doesn't exist to store even 1 day of energy in the USA. Learn more here.
- When they are snow covered? ZERO. How much snow does PA receive a year? Learn more here
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Germany turns back to coal and natural gas as millions of its solar panels are blanketed in snow and ice. Click on photo to learn more
What else can affect solar panels producing at 100%?
- When the days are cloudy? Only produce at 10 - 25%. Estimates range, solar panels will generate about 10 – 25% of their normal power output on a cloudy day. It would be accurate to say that solar panels do not work as well in rainy or cloudy weather. Learn more here How many cloudy days does Pennsylvania have?- Pennsylvania ranks 44 out of 50 states (50 being the least efficient) for sunlight energy for solar: Learn more here
- When the solar panels are covered by bird droppings? Depending on how much the panels are covered, energy production could drop dramatically Learn more here
- When solar panels are covered in dust? Production could drop up to 20% loss for each year not cleaned
- When the temperatures rises above 90 degrees? 10 to 25% less efficient Learn more here
Should there be a penalty for solar panels not producing what they are rated at?
- Subsidies for solar power plants are based on “nameplate ratings”.** Should there be financial penalties for solar power plants inability to deliver at least 90% of their permitted nameplate ratings on an ANNUAL basis, like their backup competitors of coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants that provide continuous uninterruptible electricity.
- Practically every solar panel requires a backup from coal, natural gas, or nuclear, thus understanding electricity generation’s true cost is paramount to choosing and prioritizing our future electricity generating systems.
**nameplate rating is defined as maximum sustained power-generating capacity of the Generation Facility, including the continuous power output rating of any Energy Storage System.
Hopes were high that a near-miraculous source of energy had been identified..... But 45 years later, the data cannot be ignored. Sunshine makes a negligible contribution to America’s energy needs. Learn more here
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