Get rid of the weed trouble: a guide to solar power weed control

In recent years, with the popularity of solar power generation, more and more troubles about solar power generation have been revealed. "Weed trouble" is one of many troubles. A fact is that many people will care about the installation environment, panels, power conditioners and other parameters when purchasing solar power plants, but rarely consider maintenance issues, but exposed solar panels are easily affected by climate and environment, and weeds can easily grow. , and will therefore trigger a certain risk or face the problem of damage. On the other hand, disputes between power generation companies and contractors have continued due to improper weed control measures. How to effectively and reasonably avoid this problem, perhaps you need to know the following information.

Growing "Weed Trouble"

When it comes to solar power generation, many people may think of clean energy, solar panels, and a cold sense of the future. When searching for solar power generation, the front page of the web page is often all about power, price and installation advice. Few people will pay attention to the maintenance of solar panels, and it is difficult to think of weeds. But in fact, in addition to many solar problems such as cracks, fires, and power generation efficiency, the troubles caused by weeds are becoming more and more headaches. Nohara HD Renewable Energy PJ, a Japanese company that provides solar energy services, revealed, "Weeding "has become one of the services that has been increasingly consulted in recent years. Seemingly inconspicuous weeds can also add huge risks to photovoltaic power plants.

In the centralized ground power station, since the photovoltaic modules can block the sunlight, the evaporation of water vapor on the surface is greatly reduced, which provides the conditions for the growth of vegetation. At the same time, the wastewater flowing down during the cleaning of the photovoltaic modules can also increase the soil moisture in the photovoltaic field. , to promote vegetation growth. Therefore, whether it is a desert with a relatively dry climate or a coastal area with a humid climate, it is easy to "overgrown with weeds" under the photovoltaic modules.

The green weeds may seem delicate and harmless, but they are actually a major hidden danger for photovoltaic power plants. "Growing grass in the power station" means that the modules may be blocked by weeds, causing hot spots on the modules, which not only affects the photovoltaic power generation, but also causes safety accidents such as fires. In addition, in the northern regions, the weeds that grow lush in summer dry up and die after winter, and become an easy fuel for ignition. In the warm climate and abundant rainfall in the southern regions, weeds grow more lush, which has become an excellent hiding place for wild animals, especially animals such as snakes and rats. Due to their slender body shape, snakes can easily catch on the connecting power lines and cause short circuits and sparks during the crawling process, while rodents will bite the cables and cause equipment damage. At the same time, excessively lush weeds may also cling to photovoltaic equipment and cause direct damage to solar power plants.

In the view of Nohara HD Renewables PJ, these can all be classified as "immediate risks" posed by weeds. In addition, there are some "indirect risks" that accompany them. First of all, outside the photovoltaic power station, pests and diseases caused by excessive weeds may also cause great damage to the ecological environment in the surrounding areas of the power station. Secondly, in the process of weeding, there is also the possibility that the lawn mower will cut the cable, damage the cable trough, and even cause a short circuit to cause injury to the worker.

But both direct and indirect risks point to one direction: weeding. Not only must weed weeds in time, but we must also take precautions before it happens. Be wary that a single plant may be innocuous, but by the time a group of plants becomes visible, the damage has spread and becomes untouchable, often causing a chain of troubles.

difficult weeds

In fact, weeding is not an easy task.

On the one hand, weeding requires a lot of manpower. At the rate at which weeds grow, weeds can return to their previous state after two or three weeks of mowing, requiring workers to mow repeatedly, more frequently in areas with more rain. In the summer when the vegetation is growing vigorously, the weeding work of thousands of acres of photovoltaic power plants has become the most arduous work. This traditional weeding method is not only inefficient, time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also increases huge operation and maintenance costs.

On the other hand, due to the different surrounding environment and equipment conditions of each photovoltaic power station, each site will be troubled by various weeds in different situations, and it is difficult to take uniform measures to clean it up. Although we collectively refer to them as weeds here, there are also many different types of weeds. Influenced by rainfall, soil/soil quality (clay, sand, pH, etc.) and average temperature, vegetation varies from region to region, and even the same type of weeds will appear differently in different locations Growth appearance. In addition, each type of grass that grows in groups has its own name and is unique. It may be saplings, bamboo or bamboo grass instead of grass. Therefore, different vegetation types also have different optimal weeding strategies. But power generation companies are not "weeding experts", which means that many photovoltaic power plants will take inappropriate weeding measures without detailed information on the site, resulting in a waste of time and money.

Also, an often overlooked fact is that not all weeds are harmful to PV plants. In fact, weeding is not the only way to get rid of the "weed trouble". Depending on the vegetation, weeds may also be more beneficial. It is not all you need to do is to get rid of them and deepen the basic knowledge and understanding of weed control. , "Weed control" is more critical.

Weed Control Guidelines

Below are some typical weed control measures today.

1. Paste the anti-grass paper. In fact, a piece of grass-proof paper can block sunlight and prevent weeds from growing. However, this measure is not foolproof, weeds can also break through or grow through the gaps in the weed control paper, so regular maintenance is also required.

2. Lay gravel. By laying gravel, plant growth is inhibited. The advantage of this measure is that the initial cost is low, but the effect of using gravel alone is small, and it needs to be used together with grass-proof paper.

3. Laying concrete. Similar to gravel, the possibility of plant growth is cut off by laying concrete. This method can achieve good results, but also requires huge material costs. In addition, the laying of concrete will also greatly change the original land environment, which may bring a lot of trouble if it needs to be demolished in the future.

4. Spray herbicides. Herbicides are readily available and inexpensive, but the effectiveness of this approach is highly dependent on the drug. Some herbicides may only last for about a month, and new grass can grow immediately after a rain. In addition, some herbicides have no effect on some resistant weeds, jujubes, vitex and other woody plants in mountainous areas.

5. Use herbivores. Raising goats, Mianyang and other herbivores to weed. But sheep animals are not an easy task, and will also involve specialized management issues.

6. Sow clover and other seed plants. Seeds such as clover can be sown after weeding to prevent weeds from growing. Similar to animals, regular management of weeds is essential for the smooth growth of clover.

It is worth mentioning that the weed control measures are always different due to the land conditions and surrounding environment of different photovoltaic power plants. The safest way is to consult a professional repair company to choose the appropriate measures, rather than making personal judgments.