PV panels covered by snow

Hello!

I think this first-person observation might be interesting and useful to share.

So, the other day it was constantly snowing and as a result, our 5kW solar plant was all covered by snow.

The next day, it didn't snow and the snow cover thickness was about 5 cm but there was a bright sun, almost no clouds.

So how much power do you think 5kW PV panels produce when covered by about 5 cm (that's about 2 inches) snow?

The PV output is the green line. It is almost flat, as you could see. I clicked on the peak values around 12:00 and the maximum value was 190 W. Still better than zero!

So the efficiency during that "covered" day was less than 4%. That's only at the peak values, this has to be noted here too. That is, by any measurement, very far away from the optimal conditions.

One positive side of the dark PV panels is that once there is a "naked" area, it attracts the sun warmth quickly and it doesn't take long for the snow to melt.

I leave the conclusions to yourself.
Such climate conditions should be taken into account when considering PV-related investments.

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