Several things conspire to reduce solar output in the winter months.
- Low sun angle
- Short days
- Storms
- Snow cover
You can’t do much about cloudy days but you can try to keep the snow off your panels. The trick is not damaging or scratching up the panels. They are made with tough tempered glass designed to withstand hail so they are tough but still you want to nice soft brush or one of these hard foam heads to remove snow.
This Eversprout Snowbuster features a stiff foam pad that can push or pull snow. The only downside is that it’s not wide enough to uncover the full width of a solar panel so you’ll have to make several passes. The long handle means you can avoid climbing up a ladder.
For more snow removal with every pass, the Avalanche! Snow Roof Rake Deluxe provides for a nice wide swath of snow removal with a pulling action.
Pulling snow off the roof is too hard when the snow is shallow or slides off with a bit of coaxing but for deep, heavy drifts it’s better to push this kind of tool into the snow and let the snow blocks slide right off.
AVA750, Easy and Quick Snow Roof Rake for Snow Removal, Heavy-Duty Slide, Cut and Tear Resistant
The Avalanche! snow tools cut through the snow and the slippery plastic allows the snow to fly right down without having to pull. This tool is a bit heavier than the other ones due to the fiberglass pole and metal parts.
