Snow accumulation has damaged 43 photovoltaic installations of various sizes over the past four years, Japan's National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) said in a new report. The institute urges PV system owners to conduct regular site inspections, use surveillance cameras, and remove snow at an early stage.

In its latest study, NITE attributes an increase in reports of snow-related damage to residential PV systems in recent years to snowstorms in the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions of Japan.

“Over four years, snowfall has caused damage to photovoltaic systems equivalent to the output of residential solar panels on approximately 75,000 homes,” NITE said, while noting that the total capacity of the affected systems was approximately 30 MW.

NITE recorded 43 snow and ice-related incidents of residential PV systems between 2018 and 2021. Accidents often involve damage to the frame of the modules, the institute said. In some cases, these systems have an angle of inclination of less than 0.6 degrees, making it harder for snow to slide off the panels, NITE noted.

The institute urges PV system owners to conduct regular site inspections, use surveillance cameras, and implement snow removal early on. They also recommend developing a snow removal plan.

"Before project planning, it can be a good move to budget for snow removal," said NITE, which makes most of its data available in an open repository.