Publications

Differences in Snow Shedding in Photovoltaic Systems with Framed and Frameless Modules

Riley, Daniel R.; Burnham, Laurie B.; Walker, Bevan; Pearce, Joshua M.

Energy losses due to snow coverage can be high in climates with large annual snowfall. These losses may be reduced with region-specific system design guidelines. One possible factor in snow retention on PV systems could be frame presence and/or shape. Sandia is studying the effect of module frame presence on photovoltaic module snow shedding for a pair of otherwise-identical PV systems in Vermont. The results of this study provide a summary of the findings after the 2018-2019 winter period. The results clearly show that the presence of a frame inhibits PV performance in mild winter conditions.