Snow

[Stone, Cynthia P]

All: Any advice on how to safely remove snow from our 30 rooftop solar panels?

Any tool or method you might recommend?

Hard for no solar power being created under 15 inches od snow and it’s not melting much for the next week. Please and thank you.

Cindy stone , Bloomington

[Arnold, Randy]

Hi Cindy,

I've used a tool like this - https://www.extend-a-reach.com/products/5-18-ft-window-washer-squeegee-kit-with-extension-pole?variant=45916595847322&country=US&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=22172993448&tw_kwdid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22183199404&gbraid=0AAAAACUEflTnnQXuHgYEfxTjLu3HRtMMK&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyvHLBhDlARIsAHxl6xrdQViy02dYUEWfdjxN_a0RFqkjRsXWPzv3lU7SEjvddCyVi1UQ-DoaAgOrEALw_wcB

It works reasonably well, but please be careful.  In my case, I have two sets of panels. One set can be cleared using this tool from a stepladder.  The other set is on our 2-story roof, so those require patience, sun and warm weather.  I will note that in order to get full output from any given panel, you need to clear all the snow.  I've seen that even just 10% of the panel being covered can reduce the output to 50% or less.  When it's not a foot of snow, even clearing some of the snow helps a lot - the panels do "warm up" when even a small surface is clear of snow helping melt the snow much faster than if the panel is fully covered.

Be careful and best of luck!

Randy

Randy J Arnold Senior Accurate Mass and Advanced Workflow Specialist

M: 812-339-8597 Bloomington, IN 47401

 

 

Confidential - Company Proprietary

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From: Stone, Cynthia P <sto...@iu.edu>
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2026 1:34 PM
To: fo...@sirensolar.org <fo...@sirensolar.org>
Subject: [SIREN Discussion Forum] Snow

 

All: Any advice on how to safely remove snow from our 30 rooftop solar panels? Any tool or method you might recommend? Hard for no solar power being created under 15 inches od snow and it’s not melting much for the next week. Please and thank

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All:      Any advice on how to safely remove snow from our 30 rooftop solar panels?   

Any tool or method you might recommend?

 Hard for no solar power being created under 15 inches od snow and it’s not melting much for the next week.  Please and thank you.  

Cindy stone , Bloomington 

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[Ray Wilson]

I use  The 24-foot SnowPro telescoping roof rake (Garelick)  Be careful you don't bury yourself if all the snow comes off at the same time which almost happened this last snow.

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[Darrell Boggess]

for responses to other topics, see  https://www.sirensolar.org/solar-qa/

Snow removal is the 4th item on the list.

It’s tempting to take action when your solar array is covered by snow and ice. If you consider an insurance agent’s advice to reduce risk of injury or property damage, an exercise in patience is preferable.  Before reaching for gloves, parka and ladder, think about this …

What’s the risk?  Most rooftop arrays are not easily accessible from the ground. A man died recently after falling from a ladder while working on outdoor lights. After finishing a job, missing the bottom rung of the ladder and injuring his neck, a past roofer is paralyzed. Medical bills can be expensive.

What property damage?  The manufacturer warranty can be voided by owner negligence. Although solar modules are protected from hail by tempered glass, the vulnerable part of the system is the interface between materials around the edge with sealant to prevent water intrusion that could corrode the electrical components. The sealant is susceptible to being cracked when frozen, if during snow removal it is struck by a scraper or brush,

What’s the value?  Most solar energy is produced in the summer. The cost for a week of solar snow and ice is maybe $10 to $20, depending on array size and electric rates.

Only six percent of annual energy is produced in January when days are short with few hours of blue skies; that’s about 400 kwh, averaging 13 kwh daily, for a five kilowatt array.  Loss of solar energy, thereby increasing consumption of grid energy valued at about $0.12 per kwh, would be $1.50 per day.

This is why net metering is important for customers of Duke, IPL, I&M, NIPSCO and Vectren.  Solar energy produced in summer is credited on your bill and carried forward to offset lower production in the winter.

Better to stay inside, enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while not spending your cash at Starbucks.

On Fri, Jan 30, 2026 at 6:32 PM Darrell Boggess <dar...@sirensolar.org> wrote:

Best practice for snow removal is to enjoy the quiet outdoors and wait for warmer weather. 

Yes, it's tempting to want to do something, but your actions could cause damage to the seal between the surface of the panel and the frame, allowing moisture to intrude and compromise the integrity of the solar cell, possibly voiding your warranty.

Meanwhile, you can look at your January inverter report for previous years and compare the kWh generation amounts to your annual total. Then you can calculate the value of those January amounts using maybe $0.15 /kwh and consider whether it's worth your time to be out in the cold for that small increase in production for a few days.

Darrell

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/sirensolar.org/d/msgid/forum/CABVzCbwrebB%2BHbMQm8RbM_cjPfm7cZ4Lt8bJX595QdZZzgRcXw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Darrell Boggess]

Best practice for snow removal is to enjoy the quiet outdoors and wait for warmer weather. 

Yes, it's tempting to want to do something, but your actions could cause damage to the seal between the surface of the panel and the frame, allowing moisture to intrude and compromise the integrity of the solar cell, possibly voiding your warranty.

Meanwhile, you can look at your January inverter report for previous years and compare the kWh generation amounts to your annual total. Then you can calculate the value of those January amounts using maybe $0.15 /kwh and consider whether it's worth your time to be out in the cold for that small increase in production for a few days.

Darrell

On Fri, Jan 30, 2026 at 3:34 PM Ray Wilson <rwwils...@gmail.com> wrote:

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/sirensolar.org/d/msgid/forum/CABVzCbwrebB%2BHbMQm8RbM_cjPfm7cZ4Lt8bJX595QdZZzgRcXw%40mail.gmail.com.