Research Progress of Snowmelt Promotion and Snowmelt Monitoring Technology on Photovoltaic Modules

The accumulation of snow is one of the essential reasons for the significant decrease in the power generation efficiency of PV stations in winter. For this reason, this paper firstly provides a detailed review of the current research into the physical processes and shedding reasons for the natural melting of snow on PV module surfaces. Then, several common techniques to promote snow and ice melting on PV surfaces are discussed, and the feasibility and shortcoming of ultrasonic technology in removing high-density snow and ice are analyzed in detail. Finally, this paper proposes two snow sensing technologies for PV modules, namely, image processing method and interdigital capacitance method. Among them, the image method based on fixed camera and UAV detection is more suitable for wide area PV power stations, while the interdigital capacitance method is helpful in obtaining snow characteristic parameters, such as icing type and LWC. The relevant research has certain reference significance for PV power stations to formulate a more reasonable snow removal plan and power generation forecast. (c) 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.