ACEP Participates in Northern Latitude Study of Snow Adhesion and Shedding From Solar Panels

ACEP’s Solar Technologies Program is participating in a study of snow adhesion and shedding from solar panels in northern latitudes with partners from Sandia National Laboratories, Michigan Technological University, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. ACEP faculty member Erin Whitney recently traveled to CRREL in New Hampshire and Sandia’s Regional Solar Test Center in Williston, Vermont, for a kickoff meeting with project partners.

Measurements and monitoring activities in Alaska will take place at the ACEP solar photovoltaic test site on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, as well as the 563-kilowatt direct current array recently commissioned by Fairbanks-area electric utility Golden Valley Electric Association. Alaska researchers will coordinate their field measurements with similar activities in Michigan and Vermont, with supporting laboratory studies at CRREL. The project started in October 2018 and will run for three years. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and is led by Sandia’s Laurie Burnham.

 

Team members inspect the Vermont Regional Test Center solar arrays at their kickoff meeting for a northern latitude solar module snow adhesion and shedding study. Photo by Erin Whitney./ACEP.