Heavy snowfall "knocks out" solar panels in America — but Minnesota couple reveals the key to produce record energy
Winter storms block sunlight and cause extended periods of reduced or halted generation in Northern States, especially in Minnesota, which has some of the highest snowfall totals in the United States. Karl Wagner and Danielle Rhodes, a couple from Duluth, lost 3 days of electricity generation from their home’s solar panels because of the snow. Commercial solar array owners in Duluth and elsewhere have had similar losses.
Wagner’s invention: Melting snow off solar panels
Instead of viewing these losses as an expected part of doing business, Wagner, who is an inventor and data analyst, has been working to develop a way to melt snow off solar panels. Wagner’s invention became known as “Solar for Snow.” It uses a nanomaterial-based heating material placed inside a solar panel.
This heating material can detect exactly where snow is located on the solar panel and only warms the area immediately under the snow, allowing the snow to loosen and slide off the panel. This process usually occurs within hours. Because the heating material does not require the owner to climb onto the roof to remove snow from the panels, there is less risk involved in maintaining the solar panels.
The panels do not need to be shut down for an extended period of time for the snow to be removed. The solar panels remain generating electricity during much of the winter.
Reaping the rewards
Wagner received a $50,000 prize from the U.S. Department of Energy’s American-Made Solar Competition for his invention. Wagner was awarded this money as part of the American-Made Solar Prize program. In addition to receiving financial assistance, Wagner also received technical assistance from Heliene, a Minnesota-based solar panel manufacturer, and Minnesota Power.
The invention shows great promise, but also great challenges
Although Wagner’s invention shows great promise, he continues to address several challenges before his product can be marketed.
- First, adding a heating component to a solar panel increases the cost of the panel.
- Second, the heating component requires a low-voltage electrical connection to be made to the panel, which is an additional expense.
- Third, the heating component must demonstrate that it will last for at least 25 years, just like all standard solar panels.
Wagner is currently attempting to minimize the amount of complexity in manufacturing his heating material so that it can be manufactured and easily added to solar panels. Wagner believes that if he is successful in making his heating material affordable and easy to manufacture, it will become widely available and can be used in many types of solar panels.
Renewable Energy World provides confirmation of the same major problems: large snow removal tools such as rakes are cumbersome and hazardous, they cannot be used effectively in large-scale solar installations, and simply adjusting the angle of the panels is insufficient to guarantee that the panels are free of snow after a storm.
Nanotechnology could greatly improve winter energy loss
The use of the nanotechnology-based heating solution may greatly reduce winter energy loss in Minnesota and other cold-climate areas. Millions of people across the United States live in areas with high levels of snowfall.
The average annual production of solar electricity in these areas is far less than in warmer parts of the country. If the technology can be perfected, it would enable solar panels to produce electricity at their maximum capacity, regardless of the season.
Additionally, the technology would provide relief to homeowners and businesses whose income is dependent on electricity generated by solar panels, but are unable to generate electricity during prolonged periods of inclement weather. Overall, if perfected, Solar For Snow technology has the ability to revolutionize how solar panels are designed in cold climates and to eliminate the threat that snowy weather poses to solar-generated electricity.
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