LakeLeaf
Well-known member
I like the idea of using solar energy to generate your own power. Unfortunately I live in snow country and the roof is covered in snow from Oct/Nov well into April or sometimes even May - usually a good six months. With a couple of feet of insulation in the attic, in a good winter I have more then another story of snow on the roof!
In order to install solar, I'd have to have a way to melt the snow on the panels. I'm thinking that I might be able to get enough solar on the side of the house to heat up water pipes, send that warm water to the solar cells on top of the roof and heat them enough to get rid of the snow. There is a whole lot of solar gain when you are at almost 7000 feet with more then 320 days of sunshine a year - it's just that darn snow that gets in the way.
Has anyone ever seen a solar system designed to keep itself clear of snow?
The second major issue I have to overcome is that I'd likely have to tilt my solar panels off the roof to get the right angle. We sometimes have 50-70+MPH winds here, so the installation would have to be able to withstand some pretty strong winds. Any suggestions on this?
Lastly, the squirrels like to climb the 100 foot tall pines around the house and chew off the pine cones so that they drop onto the roof. I'd be a little worried that a pine cone would hit a panel and ruin it - I don't know how tough these panels are.
Am I looking at too many obstacles here for an effective solar system?
In order to install solar, I'd have to have a way to melt the snow on the panels. I'm thinking that I might be able to get enough solar on the side of the house to heat up water pipes, send that warm water to the solar cells on top of the roof and heat them enough to get rid of the snow. There is a whole lot of solar gain when you are at almost 7000 feet with more then 320 days of sunshine a year - it's just that darn snow that gets in the way.
Has anyone ever seen a solar system designed to keep itself clear of snow?
The second major issue I have to overcome is that I'd likely have to tilt my solar panels off the roof to get the right angle. We sometimes have 50-70+MPH winds here, so the installation would have to be able to withstand some pretty strong winds. Any suggestions on this?
Lastly, the squirrels like to climb the 100 foot tall pines around the house and chew off the pine cones so that they drop onto the roof. I'd be a little worried that a pine cone would hit a panel and ruin it - I don't know how tough these panels are.
Am I looking at too many obstacles here for an effective solar system?