Letter: Solar doesn’t work well in snow, ice and cloud-cover

Last week’s winter storm offered a real-world test of large-scale solar and battery energy storage systems proposed for Dubois County. We received about 10 inches of snow, followed by very cold temperatures and heavy cloud cover. During that time, solar panels were largely unable to produce electricity.

Snow-covered panels do not generate power, and in freezing conditions, snow does not melt or slide off quickly without direct sunlight. When clouds persist, solar output can remain minimal for days. Electricity demand, however, does not pause during winter storms.

Battery energy storage systems do not change this reality. Batteries do not create energy; they must be charged. When solar generation is unavailable, those batteries are charged by the same sources that keep the grid operating during winter—primarily coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. The batteries then store that conventionally generated electricity and release it later.

This means winter reliability still depends on fossil-fuel generation, while customers are asked to pay for additional layers of infrastructure: solar fields, battery systems, new substations, and upgraded transmission lines. These costs are typically recovered through electric rates.

Before approving large solar and battery projects in rural Dubois County, residents deserve clear answers about winter performance, backup power sources, and long-term impacts on electric bills.

If a system relies on coal and gas to function when we need it most, we should be honest about what it truly delivers—and what it truly costs.

Respectfully,

John Kaltenbacher 
Dubois County