Photovoltaic Power Plant Collapsed by Heavy Snow

In December 2021, there was heavy snowfall in the Liaoning area. A large number of module arrays at a local photovoltaic station were crushed or damaged by the university, resulting in heavy losses.

This is a 60 MW power station. It is estimated that almost 80~90% of photovoltaic module arrays were collapsed or damaged. We don't want that to happen, but if it snows, how to cut the damage. First of all, we need to understand the weight of snow that our color steel tile house can bear. If it snows, you can clean up the snow in time according to the amount of snow to avoid losses. How to judge whether your power station can be collapsed by snow?

First, load prediction method for color steel tile house.

The color steel tile roof photovoltaic system is installed in tiles along the roof slope according to the components, and the bracket purlins are clamped on the metal roof corrugated by clamps, about 0.15KN/㎡.

The relationship between snow and load:

1 m2 * 0.1m → 25 kg

1 m2 * 0.2m → 50 kg

1 m2 * 0.3m → 75 kg

100 m2 * 0.3m → 7500 kg

At present, the design load of steel structure factory roof is generally within the range of 30~50㎏.

So, according to this formula, we can predict whether we need to clean the snow immediately. Once the heavy snow happens, project managers need to do the roof snow and ice removal work in time, to avoid mass loss.

Second, do preventive work.

In winter, PV modules are easy to accumulate dust and snow. Dust and snow can cause more than 5% of the power loss of the modules. Cleaning of PV modules can avoid the hot spot effect and prolong the service life of the modules.

For areas where it often snows in cold regions, it is recommended to install the module with a larger inclination angle, and the snow will slide off to a certain extent, reducing the accumulation speed of snow. When installing, keep a certain distance between the bottom of the module and the ground, and the snow slides and accumulates on the bottom, so as not to accumulate on the module later.

Solar panels are best installed in areas with plenty of sunlight and warmer winters. For areas with frequent blizzards, installing solar arrays should pay special attention to the ability of the brackets to withstand snow. To avoid loss of assets when it snows in winter.

We are specialized in designing solar power remote monitoring systems which will show you power-generated information in one dashboard in real-time. We are good at data acquisition and network technology. If you happen to install a photovoltaic station and need monitoring systems, welcome to contact us.