Differences in Snow Shedding in Photovoltaic Systems with Framed and Frameless Modules

Authors

Daniel Riley, Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico
Laurie Burnham, Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico
Bevan Walker, Evolve re
Joshua M. Pearce, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

6-1-2019

Department

Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract

Energy losses due to snow coverage can be high in climates with large annual snowfall. These losses may be reduced with region-specific system design guidelines. One possible factor in snow retention on PV systems could be frame presence and/or shape. Sandia is studying the effect of module frame presence on photovoltaic module snow shedding for a pair of otherwise-identical PV systems in Vermont. The results of this study provide a summary of the findings after the 2018-2019 winter period. The results clearly show that the presence of a frame inhibits PV performance in mild winter conditions.

Publisher's Statement

© 2019 IEEE. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC40753.2019.8981389

Publication Title

Conference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference

ISBN

9781728104942

Recommended Citation

Riley, D., Burnham, L., Walker, B., & Pearce, J. M. (2019). Differences in Snow Shedding in Photovoltaic Systems with Framed and Frameless Modules. Conference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 558-561. http://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC40753.2019.8981389
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/2079