[RE-wrenches] Panel installation in snow country 0.02

Sun Dec 8 06:43:33 PST 2024

On my own arrays in Maine, I always tilted the old Direct Power and Water
top of pole mounts to the maximum 60 degrees and spent half an hour giving
them a good coat of Rain-X in the late fall. They seemed to shed snow much
better until the later snows in March when I was unwilling to get back up
there and recoat.

Daryl DeJoy
NABCEP Certified PVIP since 2006
Island Energy Storage

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On Sun, Dec 8, 2024 at 9:05 AM david quattro via RE-wrenches <
re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:

> Here is a very interesting video about vertically mounted bifacial modules
> - performing surprisingly well.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD1MT-ek05w
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Dec 7, 2024 at 4:36 PM John Blittersdorf via RE-wrenches <
> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>
>> I'm starting to think that Vertical panels are the only sure fire way to
>> keep them clear.  I did a small cabin years ago with 2 panels on the south
>> wall of the cabin.  All they wanted is a few lights and cell phone charging
>> and rarely  used in the winter. It worked great.  Their Trace 1200 watt
>> inverter was turned off when they were not there and the C40 kept the
>> batteries charged over the winter without any problems.  Now I am
>> stressing over an unreachable camp on an island (you may know this one
>> Kirk) where I updated a 12V system with outback inverter and about 1kw of
>> solar which had been shut down in the winter months.  I replaced the
>> inverter with
>> a VFX3648, added an FM100, Installed 5 kw of PV on a ground mount at 45
>> degrees (mistake- should have done 60 degrees or more with more space at
>> the bottom but assumed not much snow there, all to run a Starlink and
>> Optics monitoring and lots of cameras.  60 days into this saga today at 4
>> pm, the signal was lost. Is it snow or ice on the panels, or just lack of
>> enough sun (which has been minimal)  which caused low battery cutoff.
>> Batteries are new AGMs and I set cutoff at 45.2.  I didn't want to run them
>> too low. If I had some of the panels vertical and 4' above the ground, I
>> could probably be assured that snow would not stay on long. Our problem
>> here in Vermont is that when the clear
>> weather arrives, it usually comes with frigid cold and ground and pole
>> mounts are kept frozen by the ambient temperature until the sun can warm
>> them up but that doesn't happen with 6" on snow on the face. Only above
>> freezing
>> temperatures or still air with intense sun will clear them.  I'm working
>> on a ground mount now that was started by a previous owner of a property
>> where the base for the ground mount array is a post and beam substructure 4
>> to 8 feet above the ground. I'm thinking about putting 4 panels vertical
>> and 4 at 45 degree angle on the north edge of the structure and 8 panels at
>> a summer angle on the South edge with adequate space for snow shedding. .
>> We have a temporary array at Approx 35 degree angle that has somewhat shed
>> the snow but with no space for snow buildup, the shedding stops.
>>
>>  I am planning to build a fence around my garden this summer with PV
>> mounted vertically with the stacks of 110 watt modules I have accumulated
>> from repowering pole mounts. South and North side of garden facing south
>> and the east and west sides facing east and west. Any thoughts on this
>> crazy idea?
>>
>> John Blittersdorf
>> Off Grid Vermont
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Dec 6, 2024 at 1:51 PM Dana Orzel via RE-wrenches <
>> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Having installed at up to 13,200’ elevation (60° rack mount) and in snow
>>> country for most of most of 37 years and dealing with installations by
>>> others that almost or completely come off the roof here is my 0.02:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Low angle roofs less than 35deg seem to take on most of the damage
>>> incidents. Avalanches are most prevalent at 32-35+deg. Avys tend not to
>>> slide at less than 32 deg.
>>>
>>> Is the lower edge of the array shaded or partial shade on part of the
>>> array with the low angle winter sun? This allows for ice up on the bottom
>>> edge or on a section of the array.
>>>
>>> Is there a drop zone for the snow? I use 5’ min below the leading edge
>>> for a mountain install I would increase this to higher.
>>>
>>> I know this sounds obvious - Is there a snow fence or obstruction (door
>>> shed roof) below the array?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I now install esp. on lower angle roofs a mid-third rail & use 50% more
>>> contact to the roof points (cheap array life insurance).
>>>
>>> If using a micro inverter or optimizer – attach this to the panel so it
>>> flexes with the panel if necessary not the rail mount system. Watch out for
>>> bolts that stick up close to the back sheet.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Happy Hollar Daze all!
>>>
>>> _________________________________________________________
>>>
>>> Dana Orzel                GREAT SOLAR WORKS!
>>>
>>> C – 208.721.7003      E – dana at solarwork.com
>>>
>>> W - www. greatsolarworks.com     www.solarwork.com
>>>
>>> *“Responsible Technologies for Responsible People since 1988!”*
>>>
>>>
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