Solar at Autumn Equinox

What happens to solar in autumn?

The autumn equinox (around September 22) marks the end of peak solar season: DAYLIGHT: 12 hours (dropping to 8 by December). OUTPUT DROP: October is 50-60% of August. November is 25-35%. Your panels enter their least productive 4 months (November-February). WINTER PREPARATION: (1) Switch to a winter-friendly tariff — Octopus Go (7.5p overnight) for battery top-up. (2) Maximise self-consumption — battery becomes critical for evening use. (3) Clean panels before autumn leaf fall. (4) Check monitoring for any issues before output drops (faults are harder to spot in low-output months). (5) Consider smart tariff arbitrage — charge battery cheap overnight, use during expensive peak hours. The autumn equinox doesn't mean solar stops — you still generate meaningful electricity, just less of it.