How Does Solar Power Production Vary Over the Year?

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The solar power production of a solar Tracker varies greatly from month to month. Days in December (in New England) are much shorter than in June. In December, each day lasts only about 9 hours. In June, each day lasts more than 15¼ hours, 70 percent longer than December’s day length. (Learn more about solar and daylight here.)

In addition, weather patterns change throughout the season. These are not as reliable as the length of day, but we do tend to have cloudier weather in December which exacerbates that month’s low production.

Putting those factors together, you’ll understand why the number of kWhs generated from a Tracker will be quite different at different times of year.

A Typical Year of Solar Power Production

The chart below shows the solar power production from one of our customers’ residential solar Trackers over a two year period. A peak month’s energy generation can be more than four times that of a minimal month, and seasonally summer is nearly twice as productive as winter.

solar power production in the course of a typical new england year
Monthly solar production and net metering value from a Solaflect PV Tracker

Most solar Tracker customers build up credit with their utility during the summer and use this credit to help offset winter electric bills.

And click here to learn more about why a solar Tracker is particularly efficient at generating more power — both during the extremely long summer days, as well as snowy winter days in new England.

We love talking about all things related to solar, so please reach out to us or call us at (802) 649-3700 if we can answer questions and help you think about how solar can cover an ever-increasing share of your family’s power usage!

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