Snow-Shedding Coatings Added to GVEA Solar Panels

ACEP is part of a team of researchers from Sandia National Labs, University of Michigan and Michigan Technical University studying solar photovoltaic production losses from snow cover. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The ACEP team has partnered with Golden Valley Electric Association and Renewable Independent Power Producers to test several coatings designed to prevent the adhesion of snow and ice to solar modules.

On Feb. 4, Chris Pike and Bax Bond installed eight panels on the GVEA array that had been treated with the anti-adhesion coatings.

In addition, they installed a time-lapse camera and weather station to monitor the weather conditions at the site and observe the snow shedding in near real time. Read more on the project website.

 

Bax Bond and Chris Pike install the last of eight treated solar panels they placed at the GVEA solar array. Photo courtesy of Baxter Bond.