Comment by buckle8017

Comment by buckle8017 6 hours ago

4 replies

Snow 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 6 hours ago

I wonder if you could just run them backwards for a while to clear them. Use the V*I loss.

  • buckle8017 6 hours ago

    The energy it takes to do that is significant.

    Often exceeding the energy gained in the winter.

    • analog31 2 hours ago

      I'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 2 hours ago

        It does. Even at 0F, you'll see snow melting on the roofs in winter.