Comment by blacksmith_tb
4 months ago
PV panels are typically angled to catch the sun better, and they're smooth and dark... snow slides off by itself if the sun is shining (and if the sun isn't shining, you aren't losing much by having the panels covered).
Snow only rolls off after a lite dusting.
If there's a foot of snow on the panels they don't catch any sun, don't get warm, and it doesn't melt off.
More than about 3 inches needs to be manually cleared.
I wonder if you could just run them backwards for a while to clear them. Use the V*I loss.
The energy it takes to do that is significant.
Often exceeding the energy gained in the winter.
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