The Impact of Snow on Solar Energy

The anticipated Christmas is coming soon. In many countries, what comes with Christmas is not only a long Christmas holiday, but also the romantic snowy weather. In the West, it is said that Christmas snowflakes symbolize good luck and happiness, but for the efficiency of solar energy, snow is not necessarily a good thing.

For photovoltaic power plants and some users who install household photovoltaic power plants, it is inevitable to worry: Will rain and snow affect photovoltaic power plants? How to clean the snow on the photovoltaic power station?

In fact, the power generation of photovoltaic power plants is the radiation of sunlight. In rainy and snowy weather, when there is no direct sunlight, the power generation of photovoltaic power plants will be very low. However, it is not that photovoltaic power plants do not generate electricity in rainy and snowy weather. Current photovoltaic modules can also generate electricity to a certain extent under low light conditions. This is also the reason why photovoltaic power plants can still generate electricity in rainy and snowy weather.

Different degrees of rainfall have different degrees of cleaning effect on photovoltaic power plants, so in the case of rainfall, no special maintenance is required for photovoltaic power plants. After snowfall, if there is snow on the photovoltaic module, it is necessary to clean the snow on the photovoltaic module in time.

solar panel mounting project on snow

So what should be paid attention to for photovoltaic snow cleaning?

1. Do not use hard shovel or other metal objects to shovel snow, so as not to damage the surface of photovoltaic modules.

2. In the case of heavy snow, you can first use a soft broom to sweep the snow on the surface, and then use a cloth mop to clean the surface.

3. Do not use hot water to wash snow, extremely uneven cold and heat will damage photovoltaic modules.

4. Do not wait for a long time of snow to clean, if the temperature is too low to lead to icing will damage the power generation of components.

5. You can only clean the snow of the modules. The snow on the ground can reflect the sunlight and increase the power generation of the photovoltaic power station.

SOEASY provides a washing machine for cleaning snow. If you are interested, you can leave a message.

How can solar energy systems resist gale, hail and snow?

In fact, as long as you grasp the following key points, you can dispel your worries.

1. Installation Angle

When designing the photovoltaic system, designers will refer to local meteorological factors and design the safest modules tilt angle under the premise of ensuring power generation. The main test is the strength of the system designer and whether the designed system is scientific and standardized. Under normal circumstances, small-scale household distributed projects will not find a professional design institute for design. Generally, the construction party provides the design plan. In some cases, some owners will design the system by themselves and then find someone to carry out the construction. If the designer does not have enough experience or the construction is not standardized, it is difficult to ensure that the system is not damaged in extreme weather. Therefore, it is very important to choose a reliable designer or construction party.

2. Module Quality

The surface of the crystalline silicon module is a layer of tempered glass. This tempered glass is stronger than ordinary glass. In extreme weather such as hail and snow, the tempered glass is the only protective layer for the module.

The quality of photovoltaic modules on the market is uneven. For customers, the quality of tempered glass cannot be recognized by the naked eye. In order to save costs, some manufacturers will choose some tempered glass with substandard strength or thickness. In this way, the ability of the components to resist extreme weather will be greatly reduced.

The modules of regular manufacturers have been professionally tested and certified. Consumers can judge the quality of the modules through the certification of photovoltaic modules, such as the IEC 61215 certification, which includes multiple tests to ensure that the modules can withstand 35mm hail at 27.2 m/s or the impact of speed impact exceeding 98 kph, if the component passes the relevant test required by IEC61215, it shows that the module’s ability to resist extreme weather such as hail and strong wind is qualified.

3. Bracket Quality

In addition to the modules, the role of the bracket should not be underestimated. Unqualified tempered glass may only cause damage to the module, but unqualified bracket may cause the module to fall, damage the owner’s roof and even cause personal injury.

The bracket generally has to undergo wind pressure, snow pressure, wind load, and snow load tests. The material is usually C-shaped steel and aluminum alloy, and the surface is galvanized. The commonly used model of aluminum alloy is Al6005-T5, the surface is anodized, stainless steel is generally SUS 304, and the galvanized parts are Q235B hot-dip galvanized.

In addition to the material, the thickness of the bracket is also very important. Take the northern part of the United States as an example, the thickness of the bracket should be no less than 2.5 mm, the thickness of the galvanized layer should be no less than 65 microns, and the surface of the zinc layer should be average, free of burrs, burns, dust, scars, and partial ungalvanized (above 2mm) and other defects, there must be no zinc tumors that affect the installation. The zinc layer of the thread should be smooth, and the bolt connection should be able to be screwed in. The above are only some of the factors that affect the quality of the stent, and consumers can judge whether it is good or bad with the naked eye.

4. Counterweight

The counterweight of a photovoltaic power station is generally cement foundation or ground piles. Both counterweights must fully consider the load of the building. At the same time, they must meet the requirements of wind load and snow load. Under normal circumstances, the design will be based on the local wind pressure and snow load once in 50 years and there are strict requirements on the weight of the cement foundation and the strength of the concrete or the specifications of the ground pile.

Therefore, scientific design, high-quality modules & brackets, and standard counterweights are important factors for photovoltaic power plants to resist extreme weather.

All SOEASY brackets are designed and manufactured in strict accordance with the highest industry standards, safe and secure, and escort customers’ photovoltaic business!

 

Tips for bracket installation in areas prone to snow

1. When installing solar photovoltaic panels, In consideration of photovoltaic panels to collect sunlight, the installation Angle of solar photovoltaic panels should be as large as possible.

2. When installing photovoltaic panels, Keep the bottom of the solar panel at a reasonable distance from the ground, so that when snow falls or snow slides off the photovoltaic panel, it does not slowly accumulate and cover the photovoltaic panel.

You can tell us what you need, such as tilt angle, planned panel layout.
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