We all love a heatwave despite it maybe getting a bit warm over night but what a great excuse to have a BBQ, visit the seaside, get out the paddling pool and eat ice cream. We Brits have to make the most of the sun when it’s out and at its best!
As a solar PV company, you probably think we are loving this heatwave because of all the extra energy it will be generating, but does it?
Will my solar panels produce more energy in hotter weather?
Solar PV panels require sunlight, not heat to produce energy so the amount of daylight hours and cloud cover will have a greater impact on the amount of energy produced by the solar panels. Typically hotter weather is associated with longer days and clearer skies but the heat is not the defining factor.
However, solar PV efficiency can be affected by heat. The optimal temperature for solar panels is 25 degrees Celsius before heat affects their efficiency and energy production will start to decrease. So, the heatwave temperatures of 28-32 degrees Celsius may have seen slight efficiency drops in energy production.
Colder temperatures don’t have the same impact on solar panels and in fact, solar panels operate well at cooler temperatures. The impact on solar panel efficiency in colder weather is largely a result of the shorter days and cloudy skies.
Solar power increases
The love of solar panels is growing as more solar panel installations have been happening across the world. In the UK we had some of the highest levels of installs of solar panels since the Feed-in Tariff changes in early 2016 with 1.2GW installed in 2024 increasing solar capacity to 17.6GW.
In 2024 we also saw record-breaking levels of solar power generation as 14.8TWh of electricity was produced by solar panels which was an increase of 6.5%. The increase in solar energy in 2024 was largely due to two key factors – 1) increased capacity and 2) a very sunny spring increasing the yield from the panels.
Should you invest in solar panels?
Now is a great time to invest in solar panels. Summer is an ideal time to get solar panels installed on your roof so that you can maximise the long days of daylight. It is also a good time because of the rising energy costs and instability in the energy markets. Wouldn’t it be great to know that about 50% of your electricity could be free as you produce it yourself from your solar panels? That would cushion you from rising costs and you can benefit from free electricity for the next 30 years! This could save you over £57,500 over 30 years!!!
If you are interested in installing solar panels on your roof contact one of our friendly team to learn more about how much you could save and get a quote.
