Solar Power in winter

Ever thought that the solar panels on the roof of your motorhome or caravan might not be doing much during the winter months? If you're in the UK or anywhere in northern Europe, they probably aren't: here's why.

[@wictimovgovonca320]

While there is loss due to the additional atmosphere, the other problem is the angle of attack. Solar panels don't work well if they are not directly facing the Sun, and for every degree they are off you lose some current. Different panels have different metrics but laying flat on the roof puts them about 60 degrees from where it looks like your Sun is. For non-tropical locations, they need to mount the solar panels on a tiltable surface.

[@RoadproUk]

Exactly right. But, I should have mentioned in the video that, during the summer months, the panels on the roof of the Rapido can generate up to 17 Amps. So, in summer, having panels flat on the roof is not a problem.

[@markbeed59]

I have a 400w solar panel system at home to run a few things and even with the panels at 70 degrees in November I get hardly any power to the batteries. On a good sunny day about 500wh, on a dull overcast day less than 50wh. I can't see how you could go off grid in the winter in the UK for any length of time.

[@andrewharris169]

Good comment Mark and that's why we always recommend that people have enough battery capacity to keep going without solar during the winter months.