| Electricity production in winter can definitely be lower, but it depends on latitude. As you might guess, near the equator there's almost no difference in season. According to the US Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: "Countries such as the United States, which lie in the middle latitudes, receive more solar energy in the summer not only because days are longer, but also because the sun is nearly overhead. The sun's rays are far more slanted during the shorter days of the winter months. Cities such as Denver, Colorado, (near 40° latitude) receive nearly three times more solar energy in June than they do in December." [1] Looking at these maps [2][3] for solar production in January and July, it seems like a lot of places drop by around 50% summer to winter. So it's a significant drop, but unless you're extremely far north, there's still energy to be harvested. [1] https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/solar-radiation-b... [2] January: https://www.nrel.gov/gis/images/map_pv_us_january_dec2008.jp... [3] July: https://www.nrel.gov/gis/images/map_pv_us_july_dec2008.jpg |
