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Featured in A grip on cells – 10-2026

Design for all climates

From alpine snow loads to desert dust and tropical humidity, PV systems are increasingly being deployed in environments that place modules and components under very diverse stressors. As more solar moves into these regions, project design needs to look beyond nameplate efficiency to center around the climate it will face for decades.
By
Gabriele Eder, Thore Müller, Leonardo Micheli, Gabi Friesen
A 60-degree tilt angle can be useful for dumping snow in the winter. | Photo: Schletter Group

High in the Swiss Alps, a PV module may encounter intense irradiation reflected from snow while operating at temperatures well below freezing. Thousands of kilometers south, a module in the North African desert will be confronted with heat, dust, UV exposure and sandstorms. A continent away, in Singapore, installations must endure a combination of heat, …

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