“Developed by U.S. researchers, the proposed coating solution is claimed to effectively melt ice and snow with temperatures of up to -35 degrees Celsius. It was fabricated by using medium-chain triglyceride oil to plasticize two common industrial polymer polyvinyl chlorides and tested at a pilot facility in Alaska.
U.S. researchers have developed a coating system that is claimed to effectively enable the repeated, passive shedding of snow and ice in utility scale solar plants over a wide range of sub-zero temperatures down to -35 degrees Celsius.
“With some additional testing, our technology would be immediately applicable to real solar installations,” the research corresponding author, Anish Tuteja, told pv magazine. “We plan on doing more extended experiments soon, where the coating will be tested for a couple of years on outdoor solar panels.””
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Bellini, Emiliano. PV Magazine 8 December 2021.