As solar photovoltaic (PV) installations have become more common in regions that experience substantial snowfall, losses in energy production due to snow coverage have grown in concern. Several post-production surface coatings have been proposed to enhance snow shedding to reduce these snow related losses. In this paper, a novel methodology is developed to determine the effectiveness of a snow clearing from a PV module and is used to evaluate the snow shedding effectiveness of any module surface treatment. Measured PV output is compared to modeled PV output in a generalizable method that allows for the determination of the length of time a panel is covered with snowfall using electrical performance data. This model accounts for module degradation during long-term outdoor testing and other external factors effecting performance, such as persistent soiling losses. This methodology was tested on modules that had one of four hydrodyanmic surface coatings, as well as one module with a prismatic glass front in order to determine the snow clearing effectiveness of these surfaces as compared to conventional plain glass. The methodology was validated, but the surface coatings tested did not have an appreciable positive effect on snow clearance, and in some cases tended to impede the shedding of snow. The physical mechanisms responsible for the results are discussed.
See also[edit | edit source]
- The Impact of Snow Losses on Solar Photovoltaic Systems in North America in the Future
- Snow Losses for Photovoltaic Systems: Validating the Marion and Townsend Models
- Image Analysis Method for Quantifying Snow Losses on PV Systems
- Impact of Snow and Ground Interference on Photovoltaic Electric System Performance
- Prediction of energy effects on photovoltaic systems due to snowfall events
- Open Solar Outdoors Test Field
- Outdoor data acquisition
- Queen's Innovation Park Test Site
- Solar resource measurement for PV applications
- Performance of Bifacial Photovoltaic Modules on a Dual-Axis Tracker in a High-Latitude, High-Albedo Environment
- Differences in Snow Shedding in Photovoltaic Systems with Framed and Frameless Modules
- Monofacial vs bifacial solar photovoltaic systems in snowy environments
- A Review of the Effects of Haze on Solar Photovoltaic Performance
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