Busted! Don’t believe these solar power myths in Canada!
Solar power is an unlimited renewable energy source that is extremely beneficial for the environment and the economy. Unlike other energy sources, it doesn’t require any external supply to work and is virtually maintenance-free.
The sun goes up every day and there is no need for bright sunshine, as long as we can see our shadow, solar energy will be produced and solar powered equipment can be deployed almost everywhere. While solar energy has several benefits, it has been widely criticized for being expensive or inefficient. These misconceptions and misinterpretations can make consumers feel a bit skeptical about using solar-powered equipment.
To help you steer clear of these misconceptions, H2O Logics Inc. has debunked three of the most widely believed solar power myths in Canada.
Myth 1: Solar in Canada doesn’t work because there is too much snow
Not true! Snow has an overall insignificant effect on solar energy production. If a foot of snow covers the solar panels they will not produce energy but only for a very short amount of time. The dark silicone cells on the panels are designed to absorb heat, meaning once a portion of the panel is exposed to the sun, heat will spread throughout and melt the snow. It has also been shown that the sun can penetrate through 2 inches of snow and warm up the cells thus melting the snow. And last but not least solar panels are always installed at an angle and snow will quickly slide off, with the added bonus of cleaning the panels!
Most solar irradiance is in spring, summer and fall and on an annual basis the number of hours solar panels are covered with snow is minimal. On systems like our solar powered pond and lake aeration equipment the battery backup will compensate for the module’s snow coverage time which is usually very minimal.
Myth 2: It’s too cold for solar panels in Canada to work
Again not true! Solar panels operate more efficiently in cold weather. The reason is cold temperature increases the efficiency of electrical current transmission throughout all electrical devices by reducing the resistance of the wiring. So cold weather is actually extremely beneficial for solar energy systems. Similar to how a computer has a cooling fan to prevent the hardware from overheating, cooler temperatures allow the solar modules to produce more power!
Myth 3: Solar energy is too intermittent to be viable
Solar intermittency is overcome by using energy storage devices. Solar batteries are used to address the intermittency concern of photovoltaics and store the energy produced during the day allowing equipment to continue running even during night time.
If you’re looking to steer clear of more myths like these, reach out to H2O Logics Inc. We are Canada’s lake, pond, water treatment, and management company. We have been serving Canadians coast-to-coast and clients beyond our Canadian border for over twenty years.
We offer aeration and deicing system design services and product sales for municipal, industrial, commercial and private sectors with project applications in freshwater ponds and lakes, potable water systems, stormwater, tailing ponds, wastewater systems, and industrial applications throughout Canada and the USA.
For a complete list of our products, please click here. If you have any questions about lakes, ponds, water treatment equipment, and management, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us here.