Rooftop Solar’s Next Crisis: Why Homeowners Are Losing 20% of Their Energy Output

In a recent Reddit post, a Washington homeowner revealed a 20% drop in solar panel output during periods of wildfire smoke, even when it appeared sunny outside. The reason behind this? The smoke’s fine particles likely scattered and weakened the sunlight before it hit the solar panels, reducing their electricity output.“A 20% reduction from a supposedly sunny sky is not unusual. It happens all the time. People look up, see blue, check their app, and assume their inverter has fried. The sky is tricking them,” explains Greg Field, owner of PGT Home Energy Solutions in Tempe, AZ.This story shows how wildfire smoke can affect solar systems, even without the presence of clouds, winter shadows, tree limbs, or debris buildup. It also highlights the importance of monitoring solar production and cleaning your system properly when necessary. Why wildfire smoke reduces solar production Solar panels convert the light that actually reaches them. “Wildfire smoke puts a layer of microscopic particles between the sun and the roof, and that layer scatters and absorbs sunlight before the panels ever see it,” says Nicole Tomasin, chief commercial officer at Energy Access Innovations in Dallas.Accordi...