{Avoiding Snow and Ice Formation on Exterior Solar Cell Surfaces – A Review of Research Pathways and Opportunities}

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Title	{Avoiding Snow and Ice Formation on Exterior Solar Cell Surfaces – A Review of Research Pathways and Opportunities}
Publication Type	Journal Article
Year of Publication	2016
Authors	Jelle BPetter, Gao T, Mofid SAlex, Kol\aas T, Stenstad PMartin, Ng S
Journal	Procedia Engineering
Volume	145
Pagination	699–706
ISSN	18777058
Abstract	Today energy-efficient and energy-harvesting buildings experience an ever-increasing interest and demand. Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) may in this respect represent a powerful and versatile tool for reaching the goal of zero energy and zero emission buildings. The BIPV systems replace the outer building envelope skin, thus serving simultanously as both a climate screen and a power source generating electricity. However, snow and ice formation on the exterior solar cell surfaces reduce their performance and may also lead to faster deterioration. Hence, if one could find a way to develop solar cells which were able to avoid snow and ice formation on their surfaces, one would have moved a large step ahead. This work presents a review exploring miscellaneous pathways for avoiding snow and ice formation on solar cell surfaces including superhydrophobic and icephobic surfaces.
URL	http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1877705816300893
DOI	10.1016/j.proeng.2016.04.084