PV-soiling field-assessment of Mars™ optical sensor operating in the harsh desert environment of the state of Qatar

Aïssa, Brahim; Scabbia, Giovanni; Figgis, Benjamin; López, Juan García; Benito, Veronica Bermudez

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2022.04.064

Cited by 16 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Similarly, the same study was conducted with a commercial Dust IQ to detect daily soiling, and a high correlation between these sensors and a PV cell was demonstrated, especially during the cold season. The mismatch of the soiling ratio (∆SR) measured from the two methods, namely the Mars™/DustIQ and the conventional clean/soiled reference cell pair method, was found to be less than 0.11% [21] as shown in Figure 6.…”

Section: Field Measurement Of Pv Soiling By Mars Tm and Dust Iq Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 98%

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A Comprehensive Review of a Decade of Field PV Soiling Assessment in QEERI’s Outdoor Test Facility in Qatar: Learned Lessons and Recommendations

et al. 2023

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Soiling of photovoltaic (PV) modules is a major issue due to its critical impact on PV performance and reliability, especially in the desert and arid regions such as the state of Qatar. Soiling frequently results in a severe reduction in PV power generation, which drastically affects the economical profitability of the PV plant, and therefore, must be mitigated. The most common way of mitigating PV soiling is surface cleaning. However, the latter could consequently increase the associated operation and maintenance (O&M) cost of the PV site. However, previous studies indicated that even if the best-optimized cleaning schemes are used, the actual global solar-power production can still be reduced by about 4%, which is associated with at least EUR 5 billion in annual revenue losses worldwide. This loss is expected to reach a conservative value of EUR 7 billion in 2023. Accordingly, investigating the interplayed physics phenomena related to the various soiling processes, the site-specific O&M costs, along with a techno-economical assessment of state-of-the-art soiling mitigation strategies (including innovative anti-soiling coating materials) is of paramount importance. The goal of this comprehensive report is to provide the solar community at large, and those focusing on the desert environment in particular, with real field measurements that provide key findings and challenges in addressing soiling research obtained from multiyear testing at the Outdoor Test Facility (OTF) field station, located in the desert environment of the city of Doha, in the state of Qatar.

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Section: Field Measurement Of Pv Soiling By Mars Tm and Dust Iq Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…of the soiling ratio (ΔSR) measured from the two methods, namely the Mars™/DustIQ and the conventional clean/soiled reference cell pair method, was found to be less than 0.11% [21] as shown in Figure 6.…”

Section: Field Measurement Of Pv Soiling By Mars Tm and Dust Iq Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 98%

A Comprehensive Review of a Decade of Field PV Soiling Assessment in QEERI’s Outdoor Test Facility in Qatar: Learned Lessons and Recommendations

et al. 2023

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“…The dust accumulation on PV glass modules significantly reduces modules’ output power ( Figure 3 ). Hence, the PV industry has been active in developing anti-soiling and anti-reflection coatings [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. However, very few experimental works have reported such layers for a longer period of testing time considering natural sandstorms along with other cleaning procedures [ 43 ].…”

Section: Anti-dust Coatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti-Soiling Coatings for Enhancement of PV Panel Performance in Desert Environment: A Critical Review and Market Overview

Hossain

Ali²,

Benito³

et al. 2022

Materials

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Areas with abundant sunlight, such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), are optimal for photovoltaic (PV) power generation. However, the average power loss of photovoltaic modules caused by dust accumulation is extreme and may reach 1%/day, necessitating frequent cleaning which adds to the cost of operations and maintenance. One of the solutions to the problem of PV soiling is to develop anti-soil coatings, where hydrophilic or hydrophobic coatings with spectral characteristics suitable for PV applications are added to the outer layer of PV glass. However, the effectiveness of such coatings depends extensively on climatic conditions and geographical locations. Since coatings add to the cost of solar panels, it is imperative that they are first tested for suitability at the intended location and/or in similar weather conditions prior to their large-scale deployment. This critical review focuses on various anti-dust technologies employed to mitigate the PV soiling issue. The in-depth comparison of the various developed techniques and materials aims at providing a relevant input in adapting the right technology based on particles’ accumulation mechanism, weather conditions, and geographical location. Though the mechanical cleaning process is the most used solution to date, development of thin film anti-dust coating could be a better alternative—when it is relevant—due to its abrasion-free capability, large deployment, economic viability, and durability. This review aims at serving as a reference in this topic, thereby paving the way to adapting efficient anti-dust coatings, especially in the MENA region and/or desert environment at large, where it is the most relevant.

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“…In addition, a preceding experiment in Pakistan using ASC and different night tilt positions also showed highest reduction in soiling losses when tilted vertically during the night 19 . Brahim Aïssa and his team presented various articles to demonstrate that wind direction and tilt angle could potentially be beneficial in reducing pollution 20 . Changquan suggested that differentiated cleaning strategies, including tilting to target wind direction, can effectively reduce dust 21 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…19 Brahim Aïssa and his team presented various articles to demonstrate that wind direction and tilt angle could potentially be beneficial in reducing pollution. 20 Changquan suggested that differentiated cleaning strategies, including tilting to target wind direction, can effectively reduce dust. 21 Against the background that a majority of new installations in deserts are using one-axis trackers, storing the modules vertically or upside down during the night is considered as a widely applicable solution to reduce soiling up to 50% at acceptable costs.…”

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confidence: 99%

Soiling mitigation potential of glass coatings and tracker routines in the desert climate of Saudi Arabia

Khan,

Willers,

Alowais

et al. 2023

Progress in Photovoltaics

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High levels of airborne dust, frequent dust storms and infrequent rain events are some of the reasons why soiling can drastically reduce the energy yield of photovoltaic modules in desert areas. There are ongoing and increasing efforts to identify appropriate and economically feasible strategies that can be used to mitigate soiling in deserts. Both innovative tracking with adapted resting positions during night and anti‐soiling coatings (ASCs) are considered as potential solutions to reduce soiling. In this study, the individual mitigation potential of both ASC and tracking routines as well as the combination of the two approaches are investigated. For this, outdoor exposure tests were carried out in desert region of Saudi Arabia. Coated and uncoated glass samples were tested in different tilt configurations: fixed, 1‐axis tracking with horizontal stowage (facing the sky) and 1‐axis tracking with vertical stowage during the night. Both methods indicate significant soiling reductions, especially for the combined solution of ASC and tracking with vertical night stowage, where soiling losses can be reduced by up to 85%. In addition, it has been shown that the relative ASC performance can be improved when using vertical night stowage compared to fixed tilt or standard 1‐axis tracking scenarios.

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PV-soiling field-assessment of Mars™ optical sensor operating in the harsh desert environment of the state of Qatar

Cited by 16 publications

References 25 publications

A Comprehensive Review of a Decade of Field PV Soiling Assessment in QEERI’s Outdoor Test Facility in Qatar: Learned Lessons and Recommendations

A Comprehensive Review of a Decade of Field PV Soiling Assessment in QEERI’s Outdoor Test Facility in Qatar: Learned Lessons and Recommendations

Anti-Soiling Coatings for Enhancement of PV Panel Performance in Desert Environment: A Critical Review and Market Overview

Soiling mitigation potential of glass coatings and tracker routines in the desert climate of Saudi Arabia

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