How winter season, cloudy climate, and rainy days affect the efficiency of solar lights?

The efficiency of outdoor solar lights gets affected by snow, rain, and cloudy climates.

The main reason is the limited sunlight. So the panels will not receive much sunlight as on sunny days. This will reduce the efficiency of solar light.

How do outdoor solar light works?

Like any other solar-powered equipment outdoor solar lights are also powered by the energy of the sunlight. An outdoor solar light consists of the following main components;

• Solar panel
• Rechargeable battery
• LED bulbs
• Sensor

When the solar panel is exposed to the sunlight it will give DC voltage as the output. This direct current will be stored in the battery until the background light is low. When the environment gets dark it will be identified by the sensors. Then the light bulbs will light.

Do solar lights work during cloudy days?

Yes, solar lights do work during cloudy days.

 Even on a heavily cloudy day still, there is some amount of sunlight. As the amount of sunlight available is low the efficiency of the solar panels will be less. That means the panels will produce less amount of electricity.

This may not be enough to work the solar light throughout the whole night. But still, it will be enough to supply power for a couple of hours.

Does rain ruin solar outdoor lights?

No, Rain does not damage your solar outdoor light.

Like much outdoor solar-powered equipment, outdoor solar light also has a water-resistant layer covering it. So this will help to protect the inner circuits of the solar lights such as the battery, solar cells, bulb, etc.

So you can use these outdoor solar lights even on rainy days without worrying about storing them away.

But you have to make sure that this outer covering of the solar light is not damaged from time to time. otherwise, water can seep into the circuit and damage the light.

Can you use solar outdoor light in the winter season?

Yes, you can use outdoor solar lights during the winter season.

Using solar lights during the winter season is possible because there is sunlight even during the winter season. Many researchers also proved that the solar panel efficiency is high during the winter season due to the cold temperature. (Read more – Can you use solar panels in the winter season or snowy areas?)

But the amount of the electricity produced by the panels will be less due to the shorter day times, as the shorter day times decrease the amount of sunlight received by the panels.

Solar panels can endure the snow, but you have to make sure the panels do not cover heavily from the snow as thick snow layers can block the sunlight.

Tips you can follow when using solar lights during winter season/ cloudy climate/ rainy days;

• If your area has more rainy/ cloudy or snowy days it is better to choose a solar light with a large battery (Ah value) and solar panel (Watt value) capacity. That way you can produce and store more power during day time or when there is sunlight to use at night time.
• Inspect your solar light from time to time to make sure there are no external damages.
• Make sure the panels are clean.
• If there are heavy snowstorms, hurricanes, or wind storms it is better to store them away as they can get damaged by fallen trees or any other objects.
• Always try to place the solar panels in a place where there is abundant sunlight. If the location you want to place solar lights do not have much light use long connecting wires to connect panels and the light assembly. So that way you can place solar panels in a well-lit place.