Characterization of photovoltaic panels: The effects of dust

Abstract

The renewable energy industry has been growing\ud remarkably in the last years and the Fukushima event has\ud given a further incentive. In this context, solar radiation\ud represents one of the most accessible and clean energy\ud resources. For this reason the number and size of the\ud photovoltaic (PV) systems is growing and consequently the\ud amount of the investments and the related opportunities and\ud risks are increasing. Therefore, the optimization of electrical\ud performances of PV plants and the assessment of their\ud quality and reliability are important for both the investors\ud and the manufacturers. In a previous work some aspects,\ud fundamental for the efficiency evaluation of PV panels,\ud have been considered with particular attention to the\ud presence of pollution and dust on the panel surface. On the\ud basis of the results so obtained, an experimental activity\ud based on the electrical characterization of some PV modules\ud in presence of powder is proposed in this paper as evolution.\ud The results, in terms of power analysis, were analyzed by\ud means of a statistical approach in order to identify the\ud behavior of PV modules, with a given confidence interval.\ud The final aim is to use a PV panel as “reference panel” in\ud order to monitor the operating condition of a more complex\ud PV plant

Influence of volcanic tephra on photovoltaic (PV)-modules: an experimental study with application to the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, Iceland

“…Secondly, the detection of a power loss can be used to infer and monitor the amount of tephra deposition. For this purpose, "reference panels" can be installed as already suggested in detail for other non-volcanic pollutants (Catelani et al, 2012), which might warrant further studies in the future.…”

Statistical models approach for solar radiation prediction

“…On the other end, the main weakness of this renewable energy source is that its availability cannot be fully controlled. Many aspects need to be considered such as geographic position, local climate, weather and global efficiency of the panel [2], [3], [4]. Among these, the position and the climate influence on the solar radiation can be easily obtained from astronomical and statistical data, but the weather is characterized by a high variability and depends on many physical factors.…”

The effect of saharan dust on PV system yields in the tropical environment of barbados

“…Factors affecting dust accumulation on a PV surface include dust properties, PV tilt and orientation, wind velocity, ambient temperature, and humidity [9,12,13]. As PV modules are installed at lower tilt angles in Barbados due to the country's latitude, dust settlement is more likely thereby increasing accumulation rates.…”