Entrepreneur Needed for Winter Solar Power Fix
“…in regions where homeowners have long rolled their eyes at shoveling driveways, add another cold-weather chore: cleaning off the solar panels. “At least I can get to them with a long pole and a squeegee,” said Alan Stankevitz, a homeowner in southeast Minnesota.” As he patiently squeegees off his stationary solar panels, day, after day, after day, throughout the long arduous winter in Minnesota…
Do you just accept this story as further proof that “it isn’t easy being green”? Do you see no alternative for this poor man but to just go out there and work this backbreaking labor for green energy? Do I hear you snort derisively?
Or… are you able to think creatively? Come on; give me your ideas for solving this. How hard would it be to plan for this kind of weather condition? Couldn’t cold weather solar providers offer a solution to this problem? I can see two very easy possible fixes right away. What solutions can you think of?
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Caveat. Renewable solutions do not utilize fossil power. Let me know your ideas in the comments. Maybe you will start the little startup that makes millions off that solution… and we at Cleantechnica can write about your idea in a few years.
This blog brings you news of renewable solutions invented by others daily. Today , its your turn to sharpen your thinking-out-of-the-box skills.
The market for this snowy climate solar solution should be good, because:
“On the other hand, the panels can get extra power from sunlight reflected off nearby snow. And like other electronic gear, solar panels work better when cold.
Mr. Stankevitz said that on some rare winter days, when the Minnesota sky is clear, the weather is freezing and the sun is shining brightly, his panels can briefly churn out more electricity than they were designed to produce, more than on the balmiest days of summer.”
Image from Day Creek Journal
Story from the New York Times
Why not make the glass covering the panels similar to the rear windshield of car…press a button and the defroster kicks on and melts the snow
I think some kind of tarp system is probably best. Some kind of contraption that lets him tarp over the cells at night, then pull it off in the morning.
Or, alternatively, pay neighbor kids to do it. 5 bucks a day…it would be easiest, though maybe more expensive in the long run. But it keeps jobs in the US!
[...] all, if folks in Antarctica and Minnesota can find ways to use solar, why not [...]
Good question, since the ideal PV location on the upper roof of our house is virtually inaccessible without dual ladders, and worse, the slope is shallow. In Illinois, the big snows are not that frequent, but the heavy stuff can hang around for half the winter.
Like earlier commenters who observe that steep inclines shed their snow relatively quickly, I’ve been trying to imagine how mechanical advantage could be used in anticipation of heavy snow to just crank or jack them up temporarily to a steeper angle. Hinge them at the lower edge. Making sure they remain firmly anchored would be important due to the danger of high winds. Maybe it works something like those old, long, store front awning cranks. I would be willing to pay extra!
you guys are overthinking this one. go to your local hardware and ask for heat tape. the kind some of you have in your gutters and up your roof valleys. depending on where the panels are located will depend how hard it will be to run power to it. the heat tape will not hurt the panel nor will it block any sun from charging it either. I would buy a thermostat so the tape would turn itself on when the temp drops down. as far as getting the heat tape to stick on the panel that should’nt be to tough i would use a gutter caulk to hold it in place,
‘geocell ” clear. the caulk will expand and contract with the weather conditions, and not run when warm. But only put the caulk on the aluminum edges not on the panel. clear will not be visible, and you should be able to get the caulk at any home improvement distribution center or store where professional gutter installers go, i have never seen this sealant at a hardware. do not use silicone or any other cheap caulk it will only peal of over time geocell will not peal if aplied to metal , you may need to use the roof fasteners that come with the heat tape to help hold it on the panel while caulk settles and for pole mounts get creative buy a spool of wire and loop the wires together in the back of the panel . hope it works well I did this for my buddy at his cabin in michigan. it works!