In Winter, Solar Panels can lose around 25% of their efficiency due to shorter days, making every hour count even more than normal.
Most mobile surveillance units will utilize solar energy in order to provide continuous power autonomy, all-year-round. However, in winter power production can be disrupted, and it’s important that to maintain service and minimize downtime, you take relevant steps to support this.
Being a market leader in surveillance, we understand the role solar panels play in running mobile units, and below we walk through what to expect with your solar panels during winter and steps you can take to care for them.
What to Expect From Your Solar Power Energy This Winter
Solar panels work by converting sunlight into electricity and heat through a process called photovoltaic effect. The amount of power created is dependent on multiple factors, however, the main factor tends to be based on weather conditions.
Throughout spring and summer, days are longer, and the likelihood of sunlight increases, meaning solar panels will produce more power. However, in Winter this drops.
Although solar panels work during the colder months, they generally produce less energy due to:
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Fewer daylight hours
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Sun is lower in the sky
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More cloudy days
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Increased chance of snow
You may have been expecting rain to impact the productivity of your panels, however, this actually helps wash away any dirt and dust that can build up on them.
Overall, during Winter, you should still expect your solar panels to produce power and work as needed, however, you should always prepare for the production of power to be reduced over this time.
How to Maintain Your Solar Panels During Winter
Due to the reduced power productivity, maintaining your solar panels is crucial to maximizing the power it receives.
For security, power is required 24/7, all-year round, otherwise losing this creates a lapse in security which jeopardizes your service, leading to increased risk of security breaches, theft, and property damage.
Therefore, any surveillance solutions that utilize solar power require extra care during the Winter period to ensure optimal power production and management. This will help maintain your security and ensure that crime prevention continues.
Although there are many benefits to solar powered mobile surveillance like the environmental impact, power autonomy, and off-the-grid security, you always have to consider the weather condition changes and how to optimize power during this.
Utilizing our 20 years of experience in security solutions, and offering solar surveillance ourselves, we understand how to peak your power production in the Winter months. Gain an insight into our knowledge in this care guide below:
Clean Any Debris Off Your Solar Panels on a Regular Basis
Snow could be an obstacle for your solar panels as they prevent sunlight from reaching the panels themselves, and as Winter brings a higher likelihood of snowstorms and heavy snowfall, you have to be prepared for build-up to occur.
As much as you may think that snow will simply melt away, where there has been a large coverage of it, the chances that it will melt away quickly is minimal. Therefore, if this happens, it is best to wipe the snow off the solar panels to remove the blockage if safe to do so.
Other debris caused from storms, winds, and unpredictable weather could also cover your solar panels, so check on this where possible and remove it carefully if you can.
However, the aim should always be to prepare for events such as this, so prior to winter, consider the angling of your panels to avoid build-up.
Debris and snow may seem like small issues, however, when your solar panels are linked to powering your security, it’s important to ensure they remain clear in order to continue monitoring.
Angle the Solar Panels to Ensure Maximum Sun Exposure
Angling is everything with solar panels for two reasons; the first being to prevent any build-up by avoiding a flat surface, and the second being that the angle of your solar panel can determine the amount of power it pulls.
The optimal angle for solar panels depends on the season and location, and during Winter, it’s important to prioritize this due to the shorter days of sunlight that are available to us.
To ensure the appropriate placement, you should have a professional to support you who can advise the best placement for this.
At WCCTV, we back all our Solar Surveillance Trailers with a fully-managed service which includes a site survey and trained engineer installation who help configure the best positioning for your Trailers and their solar panels.
We’ve carefully designed the solar panels to ensure maximized power production, through the type of paneling used to the size of the panels. These considerations make the difference between maintaining operations during challenging conditions to losing service during vulnerable periods.
If you are in doubt about the positioning of your solar panels this Winter, speak with those who fitted the solar panels to gain guidance on this. A slight adjustment could make a bigger difference than you think.
Ensure Your Solar Panels are Positioned to Avoid Snow Build-up
As mentioned previously, both the angle and positioning are key to preventing build-up. Allowing this to occur can block sunlight from reaching the solar panels, which reduces the production of power.
During Winter, every minute of sunlight counts, and something as simple as your panel positioning could be vital to power loss.
Ideally, you need your solar panels pointing downwards, in a diagonal direction. This allows for any debris such as snow and leaves to slide down the solar panel, preventing it from settling and blocking light.
With our Solar Surveillance Trailers, we position our panels to do this during the installation and to provide advice if you require it during your time with our systems, especially during the Winter months where we understand there are greater responsibilities.
Reduce Any Shade Blocking the Solar Panels
Similarly to the angle and positioning being important to preventing light blockage on your solar panels, the location where your solar panels sit is also essential in preventing this.
The placement of any surveillance solution needs to center around coverage and ensure that all perimeters you wish to protect are secured by cameras.
However, when you are using a solar powered option, you need to ensure there are no objects that could create shade and block light from reaching the solar panels.
For remote locations, consider trees, branches and bushes both in front and behind that could create shade, and for jobsites, consider containers, materials and tall buildings.
Every business will face different obstacles, and these are likely to change over time, therefore, you should keep track of any light blockers that may appear and remove them appropriately.
To ensure ease of resolution to such matters, surveillance trailers are likely the best security options during Winter as they are completely portable and can be moved by yourselves. This means if an obstacle appears that blocks sunlight to your trailer, you can move it to avoid this and still ensure security coverage for where you require it.
Monitor the Solar Panel Performance Throughout Winter
Like with any power source, you need to monitor it to ensure it is working as required.
Although power production will be reduced over the Winter period, the effectiveness of your solar panels should actually increase, so keep an eye out for any performance changes as this might signal an issue with the unit.
This can be completed by yourself or your security provider, depending on the service you receive from them.
At WCCTV, we utilize a remote power management tool that real-time monitors the performance of your batteries and solar panels to prevent any performance catastrophes. As part of this high-quality tool, our Surveillance Trailers are provided with all the following features:
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True battery state-of-charge
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Time remaining feature
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Remote power monitoring and management
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Local remote control
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Performance history
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Allows users to set alerts and alarms on desktop, mobile, or both to catch potential
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issues early
We also offer additional software like our Heartbeat diagnostics service that runs comprehensive health checks on our surveillance cameras to monitor performance and respond swiftly to any issues.
Provide Back-up Power
Solar panels should provide sufficient power over Winter, however, it is natural to have concerns.
If you do have concerns, it may be best to invest in a surveillance system that utilizes back-up power, to provide you with complete power autonomy and reliability in the service.
Weather can be unpredictable and you will never know how much sun your solar panels will receive throughout Winter, so taking that extra precaution can provide you with that boost in reassurance you are looking for.
Especially for those locations such as jobsites, critical infrastructure facilities and off-grid spaces where they are without power or internet facilities.
Our Solar Surveillance Trailers operate completely autonomously and aim to support all industry types, regardless of power or internet available to you.
Although there are various benefits to our Solar Surveillance Trailers, one of the biggest benefits is the fuel cell back-up we provide that allows them to work in all types of conditions.
Combining power options in this instance ensures security can be maintained whilst still utilizing solar power during the Winter months.
Invest in Technology
Maintaining reliable solar surveillance during Winter depends on investing in technology as this helps to drive performance, efficiency, and sustainability throughout the season.
Smart monitoring tools and management platforms enable proactive maintenance of your full unit, moving away from the firefighting approach which most are faced with when heady snow, rainfall, or wind strikes.
In turn, this minimizes downtime, meaning no lapses in security that criminals may look to take advantage of.
By integrating Stellifii, our advanced connectivity and management platform, with any WCCTV solar surveillance solution, you can gain organizations gain real-time visibility, remote diagnostics, and data-driven insights all in one place.
This all-in-one platform provides teams with the capability to identify issues early like changing weather conditions and respond appropriately to protect your solar surveillance equipment.
Our weather monitoring stations, in particular, provide real-time insights into weather conditions in real-time, send alerts, and inform you of any changing or extreme weather that could impact your solar panels. This helps prevent impact on performance, maximize uptime, and extend the life of any solar assets.
Strategic investment in technology like Stellifii not only strengthens system reliability but also supports long-term sustainability throughout the Winter and beyond, solar surveillance remains efficient, connected, and future-ready.
Sustaining Reliable Solar Surveillance, Even in Winter
Winter conditions can challenge even the most advanced solar surveillance systems, but with proactive care and smart technology, reliability doesn’t have to drop with the temperature.
From regular maintenance and build-up removal to performance checks and technology developments ensure solar panels on your panels continue to generate sufficient power, even during the Winter months.
With tools like Stellifii and remote monitoring, our solutions help support your solar and your site’s protection at all times, providing real-time insights and key performance information in order to keep every unit operating smoothly.
By investing in ongoing maintenance and intelligent management platforms, organizations can safeguard uptime, optimize energy efficiency, and maintain continuous visibility, no matter the weather.
Reliable solar surveillance isn’t just about installation, it’s about consistent care, data-driven oversight, and a commitment to performance all-year-round.
Ready to strengthen your solar surveillance network this Winter?
Get in touch with WCCTV to discover how Stellifii can help you maintain reliable, sustainable, and intelligent surveillance, whatever the weather.
