Snow melt feature?

[mtdoc]

Any progress on development of this?

Why am I asking in July? -  I'm building a shed on which I will mount a second array.  I'm trying to decide on roof pitch- trying to balance ease of snow shedding/removal versus yearly production loss.

A snow melt function on the classic would sure make this calculation easier...

Thanks for any updates.

[Vic]

Hi mt,

Did you see Reply #5 in this thread? :
http://midnitesolar.com/smf_forum/index.php?topic=463.msg3041#msg3041

Reply from boB back in Feb,  FWIW,  am tankful that normally here in CA,  this is not much of a concern.
Good Luck,  Vic

[mtdoc]

Thanks Vic.

Yeah I had seen that.  I guess I was hoping there has been some progress since then.

I haven't tried the Rain-X trick yet - but perhaps I will this winter.  The PNW snow we get here in the Olympic Mountains is often wet and sticky so even with panels at a fairly steep angle it can stick - and be almost impossible to scrape off without risking scratching of the panel glass.

A snow melt feature would be awfully nice....

[boB]

Thanks Vic.

Yeah I had seen that.  I guess I was hoping there has been some progress since then.

I haven't tried the Rain-X trick yet - but perhaps I will this winter.  The PNW snow we get here in the Olympic Mountains is often wet and sticky so even with panels at a fairly steep angle it can stick - and be almost impossible to scrape off without risking scratching of the panel glass.

A snow melt feature would be awfully nice....

How high up are you ?  And ~about~ how cold does it usually get where you are ?

I know you're in Washington on the peninsula but the winters haven't been so cold at least on
this side.

This feature will be implemented some time but at the moment, it isn't high on the priority list unfortunately.
This is mainly because it is very iffy at best...  It CAN work though if the temperature isn't too cold
and the pile of snow isn't too high AND the pitch of the modules is higher rather than flat... Although our
last test was with the modules at only a few degree angle.

boB

[mtdoc]

I'm at about 1900 feet - about as high as you can get without being in the Park.

Colder is almost better since the snow then tends to be dryer and sloughs off the panels more easily.

Last year, even with panels at 70 degrees mid winter - A few storms left a hard sticky layer of snow and ice that I could not get off - had to manually override tracking to move my 1-axis tracked array to the south and wait for enough sun.  I need to put a satellite actuator on it to be able to easily tilt it to vertical during snowstorms.  Can't do that with my shed roof though...

Anyways - THANK YOU for the update - much appreciated. I will try your Rain X trick this year.

[David]

Thanks Vic.

The PNW snow we get here in the Olympic Mountains is often wet and sticky so even with panels at a fairly steep angle it can stick - and be almost impossible to scrape off without risking scratching of the panel glass.

I use one of those rubber squeegees you use to push water across a cement floor.  You can add whatever handle and length you want to the end of it.  Doesn't scratch the glass.  I have mine at a 60 degree angle on a top of pole mount in the winter and the snow still can get a foot deep on it.
David

[Andrejs]

Any news on the "snow/ice melt" feature? The winter is here (at least for a couple of weeks according the forecast) and this would be really handy. Especially when there is "unused" endrgy from charging the batteries via generator...

[Alain Boulet]

Hello

I an on northern Québec and I would love tout try this. Today de bad good light but coule not produce because of little show on panels.

An y way to test something.

Alain

[Andrejs]

In central Latvia the winter arrived in late November with freezing rain and ever since the temperature has been below zero. We have had a few days with snow and now on top of the ice there is about 10 cm of very "fluffy" snow. On sunny days the Classic manages pull up to 60W of power (from ~1200W system). So in order not to kill the batteries I try to drive to the farm and run engine generator for some time at least every (second) week. The temperature on most days is below -5 deg. C, and I assume that since there is an ice sheet on the panels (and the roof pitch is 45 deg.) the ice and snow should slide off quite easy if only some heat is provided from the panels.
So a good opportunity to do some testing in Latvia as well! 

[rockhead]

Snow melt would rock in my world ( backwoods communications ).  I have steep mounted panels ~ 17º from vertical to maximize my winter solstice output and when the elements go bad sticky snow still covers them.
I would even be happy with a web controlled window washer pump to squirt antifreeze on the panel to start the clearing process.

[boB]

Snow melt would rock in my world ( backwoods communications ).  I have steep mounted panels ~ 17º from vertical to maximize my winter solstice output and when the elements go bad sticky snow still covers them.
I would even be happy with a web controlled window washer pump to squirt antifreeze on the panel to start the clearing process.

What would be the outside temperature approximately in that particular picture?

That looks just like something that would work with the electrical snow melting.

[TomW]

Here at about 43 north latitude I could use that feature a few times in the depths of the deep freeze.

I can get at mine and usually get by with sweeping off some snow so the panels start pushing current and warm enough for the snow to sluice off. Would save some effort if you could initiate a bit of reverse current flow from near the wood stove.  If that is how it would work.

Florida wouldn't need it but many of us live in the Great White North

Tom

[rockhead]

Snow melt would rock in my world ( backwoods communications ).  I have steep mounted panels ~ 17º from vertical to maximize my winter solstice output and when the elements go bad sticky snow still covers them.
I would even be happy with a web controlled window washer pump to squirt antifreeze on the panel to start the clearing process.

What would be the outside temperature approximately in that particular picture?

That looks just like something that would work with the electrical snow melting.

My typical mess like that is when it is near freezing and down to perhaps -8ºC.  When its really cold the snow is dry and the panels are cold and it stays clear, its just in the early part of winter when the snow will come down wet and stick.  It only takes a little sun to burn the panels clear but you may wait for days on that.

[Vern Faulkner]

I had my temporary panels parked at 26 degrees all winter. It snowed a lot, but I found that the snow left the panels when it was light enough to create any serious charge.

May I suggest Rain-X or some other material?

[Cniemand]

That is an impressive photo of snow 'resilience' or would it be tenacity? ;-)