On-site PV characterization and the effect of soiling on their performance

Kalogirou, Soteris A.; Agathokleous, Rafaela A.; Panayiotou, Gregoris

doi:10.1016/j.energy.2012.12.018

Cited by 192 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…PV module performance tends to degrade as the amount of dust impinged on its surface increases (Elminir et al, 2006;Kalogirou et al, 2013, Sarver et al, 2013. , in comparing the electrical parameters of two identical pairs of PV modules, found that a 1.5% reduction of efficiency was recorded by the accumulation of dust with a density of 0.4 mg/cm 2 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adinoyi and Said (2013) found that dust reduces the power output of PV modules by 50% for panels exposed for approximately six months without cleaning in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia. Kalogirou et al (2013) revealed a 6-13% reduction in power output due to dust recorded in three seasons (spring, winter and summer) in Cyprus. Zorrilla-Casanova et al (2011) reported that daily energy losses caused by dust in the south of Spain averaged around 4.4% for a year and could increase to more than 20% in dry conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The contribution of dust to performance degradation of PV modules in a temperate climate zone

et al. 2015

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This research investigates the contribution of dust to the long-term performance degradation of various photovoltaic (PV) modules that have been operating for almost eighteen years without any cleaning procedures at the Renewable Energy Outdoor Testing Area (ROTA), Murdoch University, Perth, Australia. A solar module analyser was used to assess the PVs'electrical performance, while a combination of spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscope, electron dispersive spectroscope and X-ray diffraction were used to exam the properties of the dust on the panels. The study found that the degradation of the PV modules' power output, ranged from 19% to 33%. The degradation is mostly due to non-dust related factors such as corrosion, delamination, and discoloration, which account about 71% to 84%, although the contribution of dust is still significant at 16% to 29%. Anova analysis shows that the dust has a fairly uniform impact on the performance degradation of all PV technologies at ROTA. This is in line with the results of spectral transmittance curves for different dust density samples that essentially flat over the wavelength range of the PV modules. An investigation of the properties of dust revealed that dust particles deposited on PV modules' surface at ROTA were dominated by fine particles built of large amounts of quartz (SiO 2 ), followed by calcium oxide (CaO) and some minors of feldspars minerals (KAlSi 3 O 8 ), which are the main factors in transmittance losses that affect PV module performance.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of dust to performance degradation of PV modules in a temperate climate zone

et al. 2015

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“…Jiang et al [8] have studied the effect of dust on three different kinds of PV modules under controlled conditions in laboratories and have pointed out the relationship between deposition density and energy output reduction. Thus, it appears that the decreased influence of accumulated dust on the output of PV modules is significant [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. In addition to directly decreasing the intensity of solar irradiation, accumulated dust can have a negative effect on solar mirrors, which is especially so in concentrating solar power plants (CSPs) rather than PV modules.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimentally Investigating the Effect of Temperature Differences in the Particle Deposition Process on Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Modules

Jiang

2016

Sustainability

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This paper reports an experimental investigation of the dust particle deposition process on solar photovoltaic (PV) modules with different surface temperatures by a heating plate to illustrate the effect of the temperature difference (thermophoresis) between the module surface and the surrounding air on the dust accumulation process under different operating temperatures. In general, if the temperature of PV modules is increased, the energy conversion efficiency of the modules is decreased. However, in this study, it is firstly found that higher PV module surface temperature differences result in a higher energy output compared with those modules with lower temperature differences because of a reduced accumulation of dust particles. The measured deposition densities of dust particles were found to range from 0.54 g/m 2 to 0.85 g/m 2 under the range of experimental conditions and the output power ratios were found to increase from 0.861 to 0.965 with the increase in the temperature difference from 0 to 50 • C. The PV module with a higher temperature difference experiences a lower dust density because of the effect of the thermophoresis force arising from the temperature gradient between the module surface and its surrounding air. In addition, dust particles have a significant impact on the short circuit current, as well as the output power. However, the influence of particles on open circuit voltage can be negligible.

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“…More specifically, crystalline silicon technologies rely on direct solar irradiation to produce power, while thin film modules ensure acceptable performance levels also under the effect of sole diffused solar radiation. It is easily inferred that this issue has a greater impact in the case of crystalline silicon technologies, whose power production depends exclusively on direct irradiation (Jiang et al, 2011;Kalogirou et al, 2013;Rocha et al, 2008). Literature on the topic of photovoltaic yield reduction due to soiling deposition was reviewed to provide a clearer framework for the topic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several experimental studies (Appels et al, 2013;Kaldellis and Kapsali, 2011;Kaldellis and Kokala, 2010;Kalogirou et al, 2013;Rao et al, 2014;Zang and Wang, 2011) were devoted to exploring and quantifying the effects of dust deposition in term of power production losses for PV systems and single modules. Dust accumulated on PV panels can vary dramatically according to a number of parameters, such as module tilt angle, exposure time period, climate conditions and dust chemical and physical characteristics, such as composition and particle dimension (Lorenz et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of Titanium Dioxide Self-Cleaning Coatings on Photovoltaic Modules for Soiling Related Losses Reduction

Andaloro¹,

Frontini²

2017

American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences

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Several studies have assessed the influence of soiling deposition on Photovoltaic (PV) modules front-cover with regards to performance losses over time. In fact, soiling phenomena in PV systems are ascribed as responsible for medium and long-term yield reduction up to 16% over the first-year of outdoor exposure. Provided that PV technology is a low yield energy production source, maintaining module initial power output declared values is of the outmost importance to ensure that the return time of investment matches project calculations. The scope of this work was a detailed investigation on self-cleaning coating application as a viable retrofit option on already installed modules, or on newly built PV systems, to avoid soiling build-up on front-covers and guarantee threshold performance level in time. The aim is to provide system designers with a consistent alternative to manual cleaning, without losing effectiveness in terms of yield maintenance. The use of self-cleaning coating instead of acting on panels on a regular basis is more convenient in terms of operation and cost. These issues were analyzed through a set of experiments performed both on commercial size modules and laboratory assembled samples. Results prove product compatibility with PV components and its effectiveness in preventing soiling and dust deposition. Outcomes are presented in terms of maximum power output (P max ) variation according to measurements performed in Standard Test Conditions (STC) at different time steps. In addition, a parallel comparison with uncoated modules exposed to the same outdoor conditions is also proposed to allow for P max variation monitoring performed on a reference sample.

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On-site PV characterization and the effect of soiling on their performance

Cited by 192 publications

References 8 publications

The contribution of dust to performance degradation of PV modules in a temperate climate zone

The contribution of dust to performance degradation of PV modules in a temperate climate zone

Experimentally Investigating the Effect of Temperature Differences in the Particle Deposition Process on Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Modules

Application of Titanium Dioxide Self-Cleaning Coatings on Photovoltaic Modules for Soiling Related Losses Reduction

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