How about a counterweight system, when enough snow is on the panel the whole thing could rotate to almost straight vertical. If the snow slid off it would return to its original position. If the snow was stuck on it would stay vertical which would at least help in the melting process. If you really wanted to be tricky you could have a lock tied to a wind sensor so it wouldn’t let it rotate in extremely windy conditions.

My idea would be to have several huge capacitors to store the energy gained from the solar panels during the sunny days in prep for the cloudy cold days. Also, have the solar panels on wheels to roll into a garage during those snowy days until the first snow melt.

‘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!

‘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!

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!

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!

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!

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!