How to deal with snow on solar PV modules
This past weeks little deluge of snow may have provided a nice seasonal blanket of white over your solar PV modules. While the glass in most modules has self cleaning properties, the adhesion of snow means it will cover the modules until the temperature rises. In the case of a ground mounted system, you can simply clean them off yourself.
Light is restricted through the snow, so output will be down, but you may be pleasantly surprised to see that on a sunny day with a covering of snow, the output is quite good. This is because the module temperature is really low, which improves efficiency, plus snow still transmits diffused light. Only when any layer of snow gets quite thick, will the output start to drop off dramatically.
First publsihed on the YouGen blog. About the author: Chris Rudge is an energy expert on YouGen and is a qualified electrician who specialises in renewable energy. For more information on renewable energy, please visit the YouGen website.
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