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> "who will clean the snow off of it in winter" This is something I don’t really get. There’s always concern around change of course. But tending to renewables
by bee_rider 1y ago
> "who will clean the snow off of it in winter"
This is something I don’t really get. There’s always concern around change of course. But tending to renewables sounds so much nicer than fossil fuel issues. Like clearing snow off the panels doesn’t sound fun exactly, but it is outdoors… realistically for these giant fields of panels it should be a fairly mechanized process, so somewhat low impact… compare to black lung or, whatever, petrochemicals causing your tap water to catch fire.
- blacksmith_tb 1y agoPV panels are typically angled to catch the sun better, and they're smooth and dark... snow slides off by itself if the sun is shining (and if the sun isn't shining, you aren't losing much by having the panels covered).
- buckle8017 1y agoSnow only rolls off after a lite dusting. If there's a foot of snow on the panels they don't catch any sun, don't get warm, and it doesn't melt off. More than about 3 inches needs to be manually cleared.
- analog31 1y agoI wonder if you could just run them backwards for a while to clear them. Use the V*I loss.
- buckle8017 1y agoThe energy it takes to do that is significant. Often exceeding the energy gained in the winter.
- analog31 1y agoI'm thinking if the sun can warm the panels enough for a thin layer of ice to slide off, then it can't take that much more energy to make a thick layer slide off.
- bongodongobob 1y agoIt does. Even at 0F, you'll see snow melting on the roofs in winter.
- jfengel 1y agoThe process really is as simple as "libs want it so it must be bad". Everything else is a rationalization after the fact.
- zdragnar 1y agoIt's a fair concern. There's a solar install up in northern WI that is part of a microgrid and basically doesn't generate energy in winter due to the amount of snow they get. The lack of solar output is offset by nat gas generators. Oconto County averages between 4 and 5 feet of snow every winter. You need pretty heavy duty equipment to move that much snow out of a large field. Most of Wisconsin doesn't actually get that much snow, though.
- bee_rider 1y agoI agree that removing snow can be a concern in some regions, it’s just like—yeah, that’s a job we’ll have to pay somebody to do. It just seems like a less unpleasant and less unhealthy job than pretty much anything related to petrochemicals, haha.
- chasd00 1y agoi was under the impression that the panels track the sun as the day goes by to maximize sunlight. If it starts snowing then just put them in a vertical position, there's no sun shining anyway.
- bee_rider 1y agoI don’t think all panels are necessarily tracking, there’s some trade off; tracking mounts aren’t free.