The accumulation of snow is one of the essential reasons for the significant decrease in the power generation efficiency of PV stations in winter. For this reason, this paper firstly provides a detailed review of the current research into the physical processes and shedding reasons for the natural melting of snow on PV module surfaces. Then, several common techniques to promote snow and ice melting on PV surfaces are discussed, and the feasibility and shortcoming of ultrasonic technology in removing high‐density snow and ice are analyzed in detail. Finally, this paper proposes two snow sensing technologies for PV modules, namely, image processing method and interdigital capacitance method. Among them, the image method based on fixed camera and UAV detection is more suitable for wide area PV power stations, while the interdigital capacitance method is helpful in obtaining snow characteristic parameters, such as icing type and LWC. The relevant research has certain reference significance for PV power stations to formulate a more reasonable snow removal plan and power generation forecast. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.

中文翻译：

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光伏组件融雪促进及融雪监测技术研究进展

积雪是导致冬季光伏电站发电效率大幅下降的本质原因之一。为此，本文首先对光伏组件表面积雪自然融化的物理过程和脱落原因的研究现状进行了详细回顾。然后，讨论了几种常用的促进光伏表面冰雪融化的技术，并详细分析了超声波技术去除高密度冰雪的可行性和缺点。最后，本文提出了两种光伏组件雪传感技术，即图像处理法和叉指电容法。其中，基于固定摄像机和无人机检测的图像方法更适合广域光伏电站，而叉指电容方法有助于获取积雪特征参数，如结冰类型和LWC。相关研究对于光伏电站制定更加合理的除雪计划和发电量预测具有一定的参考意义。 © 2024 日本电气工程师协会和 Wiley periodicals LLC。