Measurement of Snow Loading on a Tilted PV Module in Northern Michigan

As PV systems are proliferating at latitudes, there is additional need to understand the effects of snow accumulation on PV modules. Sandia National Laboratories has installed an experimental platform in Calumet, MI to measure both static and dynamic snow loading on a photovoltaic (PV) module throughout the course of a winter characterized by periods of persistent snow, in which the module remains under continuous load, as well as repeated snowfalls of varying load. This paper details the magnitude of snow load, the rate of load change, the spatial distribution of load on a PV module, and the affect of wind on the measurement of snow load over the 2021–2022 winter.