Solar fence stops snow and generates
electricity
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is
testing a solar snow fence near Moorhead. The dual purpose fence
prevents snow from drifting onto a nearby highway while generating
electricity from solar panels. Dan Gunderson | MPR News
About the only place to find snow in the Red
River Valley this winter is near an obstruction where the incessant
winds leave drifts. This part of the state can see 500 hours of
windblown snow each winter.
Snow fences play a key role in keeping the blowing snow from clogging
highways.
You might have seen snow fences along Interstate 94, or state highways
in western Minnesota. Some are simply rows of corn left in a field.
Others are structures made of composite materials.
They all have one job: Break the wind so drifting snow piles up before
it reaches the highway.
North Dakota State University associate professor
Mijia Yang walks through ankle-deep snow to get to a snow fence
stretching about a third of a mile along U.S. Highway 10 east of
Moorhead.
“This is our solar snow fence,” said Yang, who is leading a research
project in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of
Transportation.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is
testing a solar snow fence near Moorhead. North Dakota State
University Associate Professor Mijia Yang is leading the research
project. Dan Gunderson | MPR News
This 100-foot section of fence is dual purpose.
Instead of brown rails made of flexible composite material designed to
stop snow, this fence is made of 6-inch-wide solar panels with spaces
in between to look and act like a fence.
It’s the first of its kind in the U.S., according to Yang.
The drift on the leeward side of this section of solar fence is a few
feet deep.
“The function of a snow fence is to keep the snow right here. Right
here we keep it close to the fence, very effective,” said Yang.
Not only does the solar fence do a good job of stopping snow, it’s
producing a significant amount of electricity each day.
“From our measurements, we have about 20 to 30 kilowatts,” said Yang.
“So that roughly can supply one household usage.”
The average electric consumption for a residential home is about 30
kilowatt-hours (kWh) per day according to the U.S. Energy Information
Administration.
That finding surprised Dan Gullickson, blowing snow control supervisor
with the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
“They’re producing enough energy with this 100-foot section to meet
the home energy needs for a typical household,” he said. “And that was
pretty eye opening. If you did this across a mile that would be 50
homes.”
This fence is designed to catch snow blowing
across open fields before it reaches a nearby highway. The solar
panels also generate electricity.Dan Gunderson | MPR News
MnDOT currently has about 36 miles of composite
snow fence installed across the state, part of a network of 177 miles
of various types of windbreaks designed to keep snow from blocking
highways.
The idea for this dual purpose snow fence came from MnDOT. NDSU
researchers provided the expertise to take it from concept to pilot
project.
While this section of fence could theoretically power one home, the
energy generated here stays on site.
The electricity is melting snow right next to the fence using heated
pads on the ground. That could help manage snow drifts that reach 10
feet high during a snowy winter.
“We could help melt the snow and thus reduce that snow drift and
improve our snow storage capacity over the course of the winter,”
explained Gullickson.
Snow melting pads on the ground are heated by
electricity generated by the solar fence. Dan Gunderson | MPR News
NDSU researchers believe this concept is
economically viable. The final cost will depend on design and other
factors, but an economic analysis found a solar fence could pay for
itself in as little as four years.
This research project will wrap up in June and MnDOT will then
consider the future potential for the technology. There are still many
questions to answer.
Key among them is how do you use the energy?
NDSU researchers are looking at ideas that include powering roadside
rest areas or electric vehicle charging stations. They are also
surveying utilities about the potential to connect solar snow fences
to the grid.
“Maybe it’s not MnDOT that owns it,” said Gullickson “Could it be a
favorable investment for people outside of MnDOT to invest in this
technology and infrastructure?”
A typical composite material snow fence along
U.S. Highway 10 east of Moorhead.
Researchers think these fences can be modified to generate solar power.
Dan Gunderson | MPR News
Researchers also need to ensure the solar
fence is safe if a vehicle veers off the road and hits it.
It will likely take a few years to answer
those questions.
Gullickson said it’s too early in the process
to say how this technology might be deployed in the future, but the
early findings are very promising.
“You could have snow fences that are actually
producing power, producing revenue,” he said. “That could be
beneficial for the environment as well as helping improve the safety
and mobility of the traveling public. So I think that the future is
bright.”
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