Snow Condition

[gio1986]

Is there any technology based solution to snow removal from panels? Panels are in mountain regions and there is not a person in place permanently to do the cleaning, so need something to work remotely. I heard the idea of panel warming to certain degree when snow starts melting but can't find anything specific. Any company that offer similar solution?

 

[stienman]

High angle, and hydrophobic coatings.

The heating method you mention is available from at least one company in a pre-packaged solution: https://keisolar.com/automatic-solar-panel-snow-removal/

If I understand correctly, you simply push current through the panels in the same direction it normally flows. Don't exceed the current or voltage rating of the panels, and panels which are not receiving sunlight will warm up. Panels which are receiving sunlight will assist the process, taking less heat for themselves. At a certain point you'll find that you don't need to put power in, the panels will be generating power themselves from the sun, and you can switch the loads back on. The continued current flow through the panels will melt any remaining snow from covered panels.

 

[gio1986]

High angle, and hydrophobic coatings.

The heating method you mention is available from at least one company in a pre-packaged solution: https://keisolar.com/automatic-solar-panel-snow-removal/

If I understand correctly, you simply push current through the panels in the same direction it normally flows. Don't exceed the current or voltage rating of the panels, and panels which are not receiving sunlight will warm up. Panels which are receiving sunlight will assist the process, taking less heat for themselves. At a certain point you'll find that you don't need to put power in, the panels will be generating power themselves from the sun, and you can switch the loads back on. The continued current flow through the panels will melt any remaining snow from covered panels.

Thanks.

Ever heard of them before?

Weight Watcher – Innos

www.innos.no

 

[stienman]

No, I've never researched or used any of these solutions. Seems like their system would be a little more reliable given they know the snow load on the panels and aren't relying on other assumptions that could be false.

 

[Externet]

If suitable to your installation, install sprinklers aimed to the panels, fed by a pipe that stays fully drained when not in use.

 

[stienman]

If suitable to your installation, install sprinklers aimed to the panels, fed by a pipe that stays fully drained when not in use.

That's not a bad idea. Maybe use windshield washer fluid rated for the freezing temperatures expected.

Pretty soon we're all going to have windshield wipers and sprayers on every solar panel...

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Panels are in mountain regions and there is not a person in place permanently to do the cleaning, so need something to work remotely

I installed vertically for winter to keep snow off. You can re-angle come spring.

That’s not a technology-based solution

 

[OffGridInTheCity]

I installed vertically for winter to keep snow off. You can re-angle come spring.

That’s not a technology-based solution

Smart And even if you loose optimal power (maybe 30-40%?), it's way better to have 60-70% power than 0% if the panels remain covered in snow.

 

[Hedges]

The heating method you mention is available from at least one company in a pre-packaged solution: https://keisolar.com/automatic-solar-panel-snow-removal/

If I understand correctly, you simply push current through the panels in the same direction it normally flows. Don't exceed the current or voltage rating of the panels, and panels which are not receiving sunlight will warm up.

Depending on what direction of current flow you consider normal.
Pushing current through PV panel wires in the direction it normally flows will just put current through bypass diode. Low voltage at moderate current, e.g 1V and 5A for 5W, but only the diode dissipates heat. That doesn't thaw whole panel.

PV cells normally conduct current in the reverse direction (except with short circuit, when they have zero volts across them.) This explains the characteristic IV curve, leakage through the PV cells (which are just big diodes)
Apply voltage externally, driving the PV array to Voc (or maybe above) would produce reverse current, distributed across all PV cells, causing some heating.
I've tried this in a dark room, and was surprised current was much less than the IV curve for panels in sun. I expected forcing Voc (in darkness) to make them draw Isc, but it was just a fraction.

I tried it once to test this heating concept, and another time to image bad cells on underperforming panels (using IR camera, looking for light emission.)

If you happened to have two PV strings in parallel, one exposed to full sun and the other covered in snow, if you turn off SCC so all photocurrent leaks back through exposed and shaded panel, you would get some heating. But not as much as desired, and the warm panel would conduct more than the cool one (diodes conduct by means of electrons thermally excited to conduction band.)

Using additional PV panels in series, or an external supply, it could be reasonable to deliver a few hundred watts to a couple kW array.
Rewiring the series string as shorter series/parallel would let this be done at lower voltage, easier to produce.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Smart And even if you loose optimal power (maybe 30-40%?), it's way better to have 60-70% power than 0% if the panels remain covered in snow.

With one half of my 800W exposed the other day (4S2P) I was 94V and something like 4.8A input. The loss isn’t as much as we’d calculate. Of course it was cold and totally clear other than atmospheric ice crystals but still…
There is loss being vertical but not as much as a 1/4 of ice or snow causes.

 

[emmawaston79]

Is there any technology based solution to snow removal from panels? Panels are in mountain regions and there is not a person in place permanently to do the cleaning, so need something to work remotely. I heard the idea of panel warming to certain degree when snow starts melting but can't find anything specific. Any company that offer similar solution?

In my opinion, you can put a Hain System in your home. They can help you resolve that problem. Basically, the Hain system is an automated solar panel snow removal system. The German engineers who made it made sure that the solar panels worked best in the winter.

As snow builds up on the solar panels, the Hain System sends a signal to its central control unit and turns on the heating system. Once the snow stops falling, the system goes back into production mode on its own.