Photovoltaic power stations on snow: An IEA report identifies a new opportunity.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) states that vertically mounted fixed-tilt brackets and bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules may be the most efficient way to deploy solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the Arctic region.

The IEA's Photovoltaic Power Systems (PVPS) Task Group 13 released a report exploring the feasibility and challenges of installing PV systems in its defined "Greater Arctic" region (areas above 60°N).

Specifically, this region includes the Nordic countries and Alaska, USA, areas that are remote and where frequent snowfall and low temperatures make the installation of power infrastructure extremely difficult.

However, the report points out that solar PV panels can be effectively deployed in these environments. Frequent snowfall means these regions have a high albedo (the phenomenon of sunlight reflecting off the shiny surface of snow), making bifacial modules particularly effective at converting reflected sunlight into electricity. The report also notes that these modules can be installed vertically, oriented east-west, to reduce the snow surface area on the PV modules, thereby reducing the albedo effect.

Furthermore, fixed-tilt supports are considered particularly suitable for the Arctic environment due to their "simple structure and reliable operation" during freeze-thaw cycles, meaning they are less prone to damage or failure in extreme conditions. Ground-mounted fixed-tilt systems typically also have larger row spacing to minimize shading loss, and their higher installation height prevents snow accumulation on the photovoltaic modules themselves.

"Arctic communities have unique needs, and innovative applications of photovoltaic and renewable energy technologies can meet these needs," researchers from the International Energy Agency explained in the report. They also suggested that increased research and investment in Arctic solar energy could benefit the entire solar industry as projects are deployed in more remote and extreme environments.

"As global solar installation costs continue to decline, solar photovoltaic technology is not only migrating to higher latitudes but also to mid-to-high latitudes, regions that also experience snowfall and low temperatures. Therefore, it is necessary to study these parameters and their impact on solar photovoltaic performance, operation, and maintenance." Renewable Energy Contributes to Arctic Energy Security The report points out that many inhabited Arctic regions around the world currently use renewable energy for power. Continued investment in new renewable energy sources such as solar energy is crucial if these regions are to remain independent and not reliant on fossil fuel imports and use.

“Many Arctic communities face challenges in fossil fuel supply due to high transportation costs and global price volatility, which reduces their energy security and challenges the sovereignty objectives of indigenous communities in the region,” the report authors explained.

“Due to fuel price volatility and logistical challenges in transporting fuel by water or air (which may be impossible in winter), electricity costs in remote Arctic communities can be higher and more unstable compared to grid-connected areas.”

In fact, the report notes that Norway, Sweden, and Iceland, with a total annual electricity consumption of 126.1 TWh, all heavily rely on hydropower to meet their energy needs, which accounts for 89.1%, 70.7%, and 70.6% of their electricity demand, respectively. Meanwhile, Finland has the highest annual electricity consumption among the analyzed countries, reaching 80 TWh, although nearly half of this is met by nuclear power. Hydropower and wind power are the second and third largest energy sources, respectively, accounting for 18.8% and 18.2% of total electricity consumption.

The report also points out that distributed solar power could be particularly useful for remote Arctic communities, as the lack of transportation infrastructure in these areas makes importing energy sources such as oil a challenge.

In fact, the report states that integrating battery energy storage systems (BESS) into such projects is "costly" and requires rare alkaline earth metals, which are "globally scarce." The report suggests that achieving local power generation through distributed solar projects is a more viable way to meet electricity demand than building large-scale solar projects and equipping them with batteries, which is commonplace in other regions.

"Limited available data" remains a major challenge. However, the report points out that large-scale deployment of solar photovoltaic systems in the Arctic region still faces many challenges. Besides the practical difficulties of installing new power generation capacity in remote areas lacking robust grid infrastructure, and the challenges of maintenance and repair work in some inaccessible parts of the world, the lack of information about photovoltaic operation in the Arctic environment may also hinder future investment decisions.

The report points out that the "limited available data" on the performance of solar photovoltaics in the Arctic region is a major challenge, as the lack of data means inaccurate predictions of project output, which may discourage investors from investing in such projects. Similarly, economic modeling of project costs and returns in high-latitude regions is "highly complex," further reducing the economic attractiveness of such investments.

These challenges echo those raised in a report on floating photovoltaic (FPV) published last year by the International Energy Agency's Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme, which found inadequate accuracy in modeling floating PV projects. The lack of precedent for Arctic solar and floating PV deployments means less data available for predicting future project performance, potentially dampening interest in deploying these new projects.