Solar panels are of course a modern miracle, so to speak. They’re a green and clean form of energy that can save you a lot of money in the long run. That said, solar panels are of course not without their issues. One such issue has to do with solar panels and heavy snow fall.
Here we are actually not talking about heavy snow fall blocking out the light that your solar panels need. In fact, what we are talking about is large quantities of snow falling off of those solar panels. This can pose a big danger, as large amounts of snow falling off a roof poses a serious risk of injury.
Today, we want to talk about a really cool invention that comes in handy when you have a solar panel array. This is the snow guard. A snow guard is an affordable and simple item that you can install on your roof. It’s a special item designed to help keep you safe when a heavy snowfall comes down on your solar panels. Let’s take a closer look.
Normal Roofs (Shingles) vs Solar Panels in Relation to Snow
What is worth looking at first is how snow behaves when it falls on your roof. In North America, most residential roofs are made out of regular shingles. These are asphalt composition shingles that have an extremely rough surface. They provide a good deal of friction on the surface of your roof.
This type of shingle is rather ideal for dealing with heavy amounts of snowfall. Ice and snow usually stick to that rough surface. The snow and ice will then gradually melt from below the mass of snow. The meltwater will then run down the roof. This is ideal for dealing with lots of snow, because it prevents large quantities from falling down at once.
This is what some people would call a roof avalanche. Thanks to their rough surface, normal shingles prevent these roof avalanches from occurring. However, when you replace those rough shingles with really smooth and slick solar panels, things look a little different.
Solar panels are made with a glass surface, and this surface is extremely smooth. In other words, it is a low friction surface. In terms of snowfall, this can indeed be an issue. Instead of meltwater running off of your roof underneath the mass of snow, such as happens with shingles, something else happens.
With solar panels, that meltwater will act as a lubricant. It will create an even slicker surface between the snow and the solar panels. This causes the mass of snow on the solar panels to come tumbling down.
This is the so-called roof avalanche. All of that snow, when enough accumulates, can all come sliding down at once. As we will discuss in the following section, this is indeed quite dangerous.
What is also worth mentioning is that this issue is only exacerbated by the way in which solar panels are mounted on roofs. Of course, solar panels should not be blocked by anything. They need maximum amounts of light.
Heavy snowfall can block out the light from your solar panels. For this reason, solar panels are usually mounted at a somewhat steep angle. As you can guess, this steep angle combined with the lubricating effect of snow, only makes this avalanche issue worse.
The Dangers of Snow Accumulating on Your Solar Panels
You might think that a bit of snow falling off of your roof is no big deal. However, this is not the case at all. Snow is actually quite heavy. This is especially the case if we are talking about moderately cool temperatures and very wet snow.
Although a smaller roof avalanche is nothing compared to a real avalanche on a mountain, it still poses some very real dangers. If all of that snow falls onto items or people below, the dangers are very real.
Did you know, snow weighs an average of nearly ten pounds per square foot? On that same note, your average 144 square foot solar panel system could collect up to 1300 pounds of snow during a heavy snowfall. So, you can just imagine the dangers that this poses.
If 1300 pounds of snow falls onto a person below, the chances of serious injury or even death are very real. Moreover, that falling snow can also snap downspouts and rain gutters, and damage all sorts of items around the home.
Crushed plants and trees, damaged outdoor furniture, broken windshields, and more can all happen due to this issue. It is therefore essential to prevent this snow from falling off of your roof all at once. Well, this is where the snow guard for solar panels comes into play.
What are Snow Guards for Solar Panels?
The snow guard is a special type of physical barrier that is installed on a roof. These snow guards are installed between the edge of your roof and the bottom of the solar panels. These snow guards are designed to stop these roof avalanches from occurring.
They have the ability to catch snow that is in the process of sliding off of the solar panels. These snow guard systems are designed to release very small amounts of meltwater or snow at a time. This gradual release allows the snow to come down off the roof without all falling at once.
It, therefore, helps keep you, your family, and your belongings around your house safe from damage. With that being said, not everybody is going to need snow guards. Let’s move on and figure out whether or not you actually need snow guards for your solar panels.
Do You Need Snow Guards for Solar Panels?
The fact is that the majority of people are not going to need snow guards for their solar panels. For one, the most solar installations occur in warm and sunny areas. Of course, the more sun a solar panel gets, the more energy it can put out.
Therefore, these installations tend to be the most popular in areas that see the most sunlight. This generally means that these same areas also don’t see that much snow, if any at all. That said, solar panels do often get installed in areas that see great amounts of snowfall on a yearly basis.
If you live in these areas, such as the American northwest, then you should be concerned about this issue. If you live in a place that sees frequent and heavy snow storms, then this issue of the roof avalanche is very real. generally speaking, small to moderate amounts of snow are not a big issue here.
Small amounts of snow will generally melt on the solar panels and just trickle off the roof. However, if you are susceptible to getting several inches of snow in a short period of time, then these roof avalanches may occur. Heavy accumulations of snow in a very short period of time can lead to this issue. Therefore, if you live somewhere that gets a lot of snow, then snow guards might be right for you.
The Average Cost of Snow Guards for Solar Panels
Now you know whether or not you need snow guards for your solar panels. That said, something else you’d probably like to know is how much they will cost you. On average, you can expect to spend anywhere between $1.50 and $3.00 per foot of snow guard installed.
This will generally be on top of the installation cost itself. Between the snow guards and the installation costs, you can expect to spend anywhere from $8 to $12 per linear foot. When you have your snow guards installed does also make a difference in terms of the price.
For the most part, you will save money if you install them right when your solar panels are installed. Although you might pay a higher upfront cost, the installation cost will be lower. Having a solar panel specialist go up onto your roof two times is far more expensive than just once.
Types of Snow Guards for Solar Panels
The only thing left to consider here is the type of snow guard that you want to get for your roof. There are a few different kinds for you to consider. The two main types here are clamp-on snow guards and snow fences.
Clamp-on snow guards are generally installed either at the edges of the solar panels or in between the solar panels. These either keep the snow on the solar panels so it can melt on its own or they slowly release it.
You then have your snow fence. These are generally attached to the roof separately from the solar panels.
The good thing about these is that they are very easy to install after the solar panels have already been installed. This is unlike the clamp-on model that usually has to be installed at the same time as the solar panels.
Conclusion
You now have all of the important facts about snow guards for solar panels. You can now make an informed decision as to whether or not they are right for you.