In recent years, the installed capacity of solar power equipment has been increasing, but in cold and snowy areas, solar panels are easily covered by snow, resulting in a decrease in power generation efficiency. Scientists at the University of Michigan have developed a transparent coating that reduces the accumulation of snow and ice on solar panels, making them 85 percent more efficient in winter. The research was recently published in Advanced Materials Technology.
Anish Tuteja, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan, said solar panels produce 80 to 90 percent less electricity in cold, snowy climates, which could be a disadvantage for widespread solar power. In the process of deicing coating, the team found that low interface toughness and low adhesion strength are the key to deicing technology. On this basis, the PVC material was added with vegetable oil to achieve a precise balance between low surface adhesion and low interface toughness to achieve better deicing and snow removal effect.
In tests at a solar farm in Fairbanks, Alaska, the coated panels averaged about 28 percent snow and ice coverage throughout the winter, compared with about 59 percent for the uncoated panels. The coating can be sprayed or brushed in cold weather and is good for up to a year.