Storms & Solar: What to Expect from Your System During a Storm
Incoming storm?
Don’t sweat your solar!
With over 40 years combined experience in the solar industry, the owners of Sunly have mastered how to safely install solar panels. The Sunly Advantage was developed by Sunly’s owners through their many years of learning to perfect the solar installation process.
The Sunly Advantage includes three different layers of protection for your roof, to ensure there’s no risk of damage when you go solar.
The Sunly Advantage
Critter Guard
Protect against damages done by squirrels, birds and other animals
Structural Engineering
Plan for the new expected load on your roof
Flashing
4 levels of protection against your roof leaking
High Winds
When the forecast is calling for wind warnings, don’t panic!
Roof Installations
Sunly’s structural engineering ensures that even during high winds you can sleep comfortably knowing your investment is safely braving the storm.
Wind Load
This is calculated during structural engineering to determine how much force the wind will place on the structure. The higher the wind speed, the larger the force. This force is complex because not only is there a positive force on the side the wind is coming from, but there is a negative force due to the reduced pressure on the opposite side of the structure. The Wind Load used in the calculations are determined by local building codes and/or weather data.
Vibrational Loads
Vibration loads are another factor that is considered during the structural engineering process. These include something like an earthquake, that shakes the structure. This is more for how things are interconnected.
Built into these calculations is a Safety Factor. This is a number that ensures that the design can withstand more than the bare minimum. This is to account for variations in the building materials, site conditions and construction errors. If the engineer uses a very high Safety Factor, then the cost of construction increases. Therefore, the engineer needs to optimize this factor for safety and cost.
We want to ensure that your home or structures lasts as long as the solar power system on it. Therefore, we have a Structural Engineer review and sign off on every design before we install the system.
Weight
During structural engineering, we also consider the added weight of the panels onto your roof to confirm it can safely support the weight of solar. This consideration includes the load of snow during the wintertime.
Ground Mounts
Ground Mounts are a little different, but just as safe and stable. If you’ve already had your ground mount(s) installed, you’ve seen the multiple levels of construction and preparation that go into building one of these power-houses. The first piece of the installation process is installing the piles.
These metal supports are drilled 12 feet deep into the ground. So they’re not budging in high winds.
Case Study
During 2022, PEI was hit by Hurricane Fiona - the most expensive tropical cyclone to ever hit Canada (as of 2024 - let’s hope it stays that way). Less than 4% of Sunly systems were damaged by this hurricane. Even during extreme weather conditions, our added layers of installation protection pay off!
This video from CBC highlights the damage PEI sustained during and after Hurricane Fiona;
Heavy Snow
You’re probably feeling comforted after hearing about how well Sunly systems fared during a hurricane, and sure enough, snow is no match for these panels either.
Fun fact, solar panels can actually be more efficient during the winter.
Most solar panels today use silicon as a semiconductor material. When photon particles in sunlight hit the solar panel photovoltaic cells, it causes movement in the electrons of the silicon. This, in turn, creates the electric current that is sent to the electric distribution box, supplying power. In cooler temperatures, the electrons in the silicon are at rest (low energy). Once activated by sunlight (high energy), a greater difference in voltage is attained. Heat creates resistance in a circuit but once that heat is removed, more energy can be produced.
At Sunly, we make sure to take into account the snow fall you may be hit with to keep your offset percentage accurate.
SO WHEN THE SNOW STARTS FALLING, THERE IS NOTHING TO PANIC ABOUT. YOUR SOLAR PANELS WILL STILL BE ABLE TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY.
Should I remove the snow from my panels?
The short answer is no.
It is not necessary to remove the snow from your solar panels for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, this is because most snow will fall from the panels without any action. The solar panels are very smooth, allowing for snow to slide right off of them. This combined with the angle of the panels on the roof mean that most of the snow will fall off the panels without you having to do anything.
If some snow does accumulate on the panels, we never recommend getting on top of your roof to clear them. If you have a ground mount you would like to clear off, it is important you don’t use anything rough (like a broom) to clear them as this can damage the tempered glass on the panels.
For more information about snow and solar, follow this link.
Pouring Rain
After reading the snow blurb, you probably already know rain is nothing to sweat! Even in bouts of heavy rain, your roof is safe and sound holding up your Sunly panels.
We use multiple layers of flashing to ensure that your roof won’t be at risk of leaks. We also provide our installation warranty for extra peace of mind.
If you’d like to learn more about our flashing techniques, watch the video below:
You can learn more about our flashing by clicking here.
So next time you’re getting a little anxious about a bad weather forecast, you don’t need to worry about your solar panels!
If you’re interested in learning more, or if you have any questions, call 1-833-GO-SUNLY to chat with an expert!