Hey everyone! I'm looking for some advice from those of you living in snowy areas with ground-mounted solar panels. What do you use to remove snow from your panels? I'm worried about using a plastic shovel because I don't want to scratch them. I've been using a corn broom, but it's not cutting it. Also, I recently faced a situation where the snow froze onto my panels and I can't just sweep it off. I'm hesitant to use a scraper, but I don't want to lose efficiency at around 10% capacity for the next week. Any thoughts?
3 Answers
I had good luck with a soft bristle broom when the snow is heavy or stuck. But for light, fluffy snow, I go with a leaf blower—clears them off in just a couple of minutes! You can really get your panels back to full capacity fast, especially if you have a bigger array.
I just cleared mine using a kitchen broom on an extension pole. It’s super effective especially for my ground-mounted panels on a slope. It takes about 10 minutes for my 3kW setup! Just remember to clear underneath them too. Also, I've seen some people use a floor squeegee, which is better than a broom in some cases, especially with light snow.
I prefer using a long-handled car scraper with a brush and squeegee. First, I scrape off the snow with the brush, and then use the squeegee for any residual ice. It's a nice two-in-one tool for the job! Though, I personally let nature do its thing if it’s just a bit of snow on milder days; the dark panels usually heat up enough to clear themselves eventually.