Technology-dependent analysis of the snow melting and sliding behavior on photovoltaic modules

In this study, the snow melting behavior of several photovoltaic technologies, all installed at the same location under identical conditions, is analyzed based on the time-dependent changes of the snow cover, which is extracted from images of a monitoring webcam, for various temperature and irradiation conditions. From this study, conclusions can be drawn for the optimum module technology for a given location with respect to snow-dependent yield losses. In particular, the melting behavior is analyzed regarding its dependence on the ambient temperature and the irradiation level. Finally, the relevance of snow cover-related losses is discussed. The study shows that comparably large frameless modules exhibit the highest snow shedding rates. Hence, they are snow-free for longer periods, thereby increasing their potential for electricity generation in snowy regions. In summary, this paper reveals the beneficial snow removal properties of large frameless modules for snowy areas by applying a novel image processing technique for the determination of the snow-covered area fraction of the modules.