Five days ago, winter came early to the UK and I learned what effect the snow has on a solar PV array. Basically, for me at least, it means zero power - even in bright sunlight. In the relative warmth of the day, the blanket of snow on the panels melts slightly and moves down the incline to expose up to 50% of their area. Yet apparently just having a portion of a panel shaded shorts out the whole panel and dramatically reduces its effectiveness. A trickle of power is generated but even after four days, it has not been enough to make my generation meter tick over one tenth of a unit.
Perhaps if the inclination of the panels had been greater, they would have shed the snow easier. As it is, I will just have to wait it out.
Having just got the payment for September's FiTs readings, EDF sent me an email for December's. We'll see if they pay this one faster. Only £130 is due this time.
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