TOP-SET Seminar - Quantifying the effects of snow on photovoltaic system performance
An NSERC CREATE TOP-SET Seminar
Mar 24, 2025 — 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Join us to learn more about photovoltaic capacity at the international level and the effects of snow on photovoltaic system performance.
Event details
Quantifying the effects of snow on photovoltaic system performance
Abstract: The presentation is divided into a photovoltaics (PV) trends summary and a research segment. A brief examination of PV capacity at the international level is given along with general information on the cumulative PV capacity and system costs in Canada and a summary of some financial considerations for utility-scale arrays in global electricity markets. The second part of the presentation introduces Dr. Baldus-Jeursen’s research studying energy losses due to snow accumulation on PV systems. This research is based on the comparison and assessment of different snow loss models, the automated processing of camera images, the identification of snow cover, and the performance monitoring of arrays in Nordic climates. Specific emphasis is given to the study of snow losses for a 39 kWp rooftop PV system in Varennes, Québec.
Guest speaker
Christopher Baldus-Jeursen
CanmetENERGY
Christopher Baldus-Jeursen obtained his BSc from Queen’s University in the Engineering Physics department. He received his MSc from the EUREC Renewable Energy Master’s Program, with a one-year internship at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, and his PhD in photovoltaic devices from the University of Waterloo in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 2017, Dr. Baldus-Jeursen joined CanmetENERGY, a federal renewable energy research and deployment centre near Montréal. Dr. Baldus-Jeursen studies PV system performance, the effects of snow on array energy output, and module characterization and degradation. He is a contributor to the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems (IEA PVPS) Task 13 group addressing reliability and performance of PV components and systems. He is also a member of the IEA PVPS Task 1 group disseminating information on technical, economic, and social aspects of PV systems through annual national survey reports.
Funding
This seminar is funded by the University of Ottawa.