Years ago, some may have thought the idea of installing solar panels in East Yorkshire was mad. How, it might be asked, could they provide a steady supply of electricity in the wet north of England, even in summer?

The notion that solar panels cannot work when it is cloudy and even more so when it is dark is a common misconception, but now it seems the world has been turned upside down by an extraordinary claim in the opposite direction; that they won’t work when it is very hot.

Making this baffling claim was Democratic Unionist MP Sammy Wilson, who Tweeted: "The UK has had to start coal-fired generators during this heatwave because the sun is too strong and solar panels have had to be taken offline."

This might have a few people wondering what on earth Mr Wilson is on about. After all, surely the whole idea of solar panels is that they make their energy from the sun shining. How can they stop working when that is exactly what is going on?

As the BBC noted, there is a minuscule fragment of truth in Mr Wilson’s comment, but on the key point he was wrong; the very article he read had stated there had been a “severe” drop in output from solar panels, but not that they had been taken down altogether. Moreover, even that claim about falling output was highly exaggerated.

Solar Energy UK said: “The idea that solar panels wilt in the heat is a gross and fundamental misapprehension.” It explained that very hot weather will slightly reduce the efficiency with which electricity is generated from panels, which is why the optimal power generation time for panels used in the UK comes in April and May.

However, this is far too small a factor to justify Mr Wilson’s claim, not least as the lesser efficiency is more than compensated for by the longer daylight hours of summer.  

Discussing the drop in efficiency in the hottest weather, Alastair Buckley, Professor of Organic Electronics at the University of Sheffield, said: “High temperatures only marginally affect the overall output of solar power - it’s a secondary effect. If it’s sunny and hot, you are going to get good power output.”  

Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett added to this point: “Solar power works perfectly well in the Saudi Arabian desert - and the same panels are being installed there as on rooftops in Birmingham or a field in Oxfordshire.”

It’s all a far cry from the old idea that clouds stop solar panels from working. Cnet busted this myth by noting that while less sunshine will reduce the output, it will not stop it.

Speaking to the Cnet website, James Fenton, director of the Florida Solar Energy Center, said: "The panel is always working. The question is how much electricity comes out of it based on the amount of light." 

That means even a cloudy day will still enable panels to generate electricity. Moreover, even at night panels can generate a small amount of electricity through ambient light from twilight or moonlight.

All this goes to show that solar panels are far more effective at generating energy than some think - or Tweet.

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