SnowPower

SnowPower is built on complementing research in snow physics, meteorology, and energy engineering to advance in measuring and modelling the amount of sunlight reflected by snow, and to use the results to enhance the solar energy production in the snowy season. We will, for the first time, simultaneously measure the snow properties that affect the spatial distribution of the reflected light, and therefore we will be able to model the amount of light that impinges on solar panels. Parallelly, we will also improve the simulation of loss of solar energy yield due to the snow accumulation on the solar panels. We will apply these results to simulate the energy yield of solar panels in snowy conditions, and to identify the optimal panel setup that maximizes the economic value of the produced electricity and minimizes the facility maintenance. Doing so, we will facilitate the growth of solar energy production in Finland accelerating the transition to renewable energy in snowy areas.

2026

2029