Is solar really four times the cost of nuclear? No, but…

[OKIsItJustMe]

57. Non sequitur - I thought the topic was the safety of nuclear fission plants

However, could the Ukranians use renewable energy sources? I mean, it snows there. Right?

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2013.02.014

[font face=Serif][font size=5]The effects of snowfall on solar photovoltaic performance[/font]
[font size=4]Abstract[/font]
[font size=3]Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are frequently installed in climates with significant snowfall. To better understand the effects of snowfall on the performance of PV systems, a multi-angle, multi-technology PV system was commissioned and monitored over two winters. A novel methodology was introduced and validated with this system, which allows for the determination of snowfall losses from time-series performance data with correlated meteorological observations down to a 5-min resolution. In addition, a new method for determining the probability distribution of snow deposition on a module from image data was developed. It was found that the losses due to snowfall are dependent on the angle and technology being considered and the effects of increased albedo in the surroundings of a PV system can increase expected yields, particularly in the case of high tilt angle systems. Existing methods for predicting losses due to snowfall were investigated, and were found to provide overly conservative estimates of snow losses. Overall the results show that the proper assessment of snow related losses can help improve system performance and maintenance. It is concluded that proper characterization of the snowfall effect on PV system performance can influence better systems optimization for climates experiencing snowfall.

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[font size=4]7. Conclusions[/font]

This study introduced a methodology that can be used to derive snowfall losses and time to clear of snow from a time series of module performance data, a metric commonly collected at PV installation sites. In addition, a methodology to analyse snow shedding patterns from image data was introduced, and showed the variability of snow distribution patterns depending on module type and orientation. Overall it was seen that snowfall will tend to settle in a vertical gradient on the surface of the module.

It was found that the losses due to snowfall are dependent on the angle and technology being considered. Over the 2 years studied, which had low levels of snowfall when compared to historic data, the losses ranged from 3.5–1% of expected yearly yield for sites in south-eastern Ontario. It was also found that the effect of increased spectrally responsive albedo can cause an increase of approximately 1% over projected yields on modules with higher inclinations from the horizontal. An attempt was made to correlate the time required to shed snow to module temperature and relative humidity, and though some weak trends are apparent: that a lower temperature and higher relative humidity will tend to increase the time to shed, they were not significant. Overall it was found that the proper assessment of snow related losses can help improve system performance and maintenance. In addition, proper characterization of the snowfall effect can influence better systems optimization for climates experiencing snowfall. Future work is also needed to investigate system design to better utilize albedo augmentation techniques.

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