Illustration of snow removal method for photovoltaic panel coating

Can a photovoltaic power station remove snow?

Manual snow removal, which is usually done using high-pressure water guns or cleaning brushes, is one of the main methods used in many photovoltaic power stations (Gao, 2013 ). Although this method is simple and environmentally friendly, its snow removal efficiency is low.

Can hydrodynamic surface coatings remove snow from PV panels?

The other proposed method for snow removal from PV panels was using hydrodynamic surface coatings on the panels. Andrews and Pearce (2013) studied four hydrodynamic surface coatings to determine the snow clearing effectiveness of these surfaces compared to conventional plain glass.

Can a photovoltaic panel self-heat to remove snow?

The study concluded that self-heating to remove snow on a photovoltaic panel is feasible when the snow thickness is greater than the equivalent height and the panel inclination angle is greater than the minimum inclination angle. It is concluded that this method is feasible.

How to remove snow from solar panels?

To remove snow from solar panels, a mechanical method called vibration can be used (Efron et al., 2012). For snow that has frozen on the surface of the PV panel, a large strain of the panel surface is required to break the adhesion.

Should a PV system use thermal snow removal system?

The hypothetical case study showed that using the thermal snow removal systemcan be beneficialfor a PV system depending on the start time for removing snow from the panel. If there is no snowfall during the day, it is recommended to remove the snow before sunrise.

Can reverse current be used to remove snow from PV panels?

Based on the measurements and observations, it may be concluded that imposing reverse current through PV cells with a modified framecan be a more beneficial and practical method for snow removalfrom PV panels compared to using a heater.