Field Study of Passive-Active Snow Removal Technique for Photovoltaic Systems

Snow loss, caused by the accumulation of snow on photovoltaic (PV) systems, significantly impacts energy generation in colder climates by reducing or blocking solar irradiance, plummeting electricity production. Traditional mitigation strategies, such as mechanical cleaning or natural melting, are often labor-intensive and inefficient. This paper examines the effectiveness of passive and passive-active snow removal methods to combat this issue. The passive technique utilizes hydrophobic PTFE tape on frame surfaces, while the passive-active technique combines PTFE tape and heating tape on the bottom frame surface to facilitate snow sliding. Both experiments compared a test module equipped with tape materials to a reference module without the tape materials. Over a 24-hour period, online camera footage captured key snow events, including snowfall, coverage, sliding, and melting. The time differences between snow covering and snow sliding were then calculated for both modules, and weather data were analyzed to determine the impact of ambient weather on snow removal. Results showed that the PTFE tape-only method reduced the dry snow (3 inches) by 1 hour and 47 minutes sooner than the reference module. The combined PTFE and heating tape method cleared the wet snow (2.75 inches) about 2 hours sooner than the reference module. It was observed that factors such as increased ambient temperature, irradiance, and cell/laminate temperatures near the bottom of the test module frame contributed to faster snow removal with the combined method. In conclusion, using PTFE tape alone or in combination with heating tape effectively facilitates snow sliding, minimizing snow loss and enhancing PV system performance.