Review of yield increase of solar panels through soiling prevention, and a proposed water-free automated cleaning solution

Deb, Dipankar; Brahmbhatt, Nisarg

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2017.10.014

Cited by 143 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Overall, the testbed has provided a new approach to testing a combination of cleaning solutions in the field coupled with used water recovery. The proposed approach is important, as currently, there are a large number of solar PV projects being built in Saudi Arabia with more being planned for the future.the modules impacting photon absorption by the solar cells [5,6]. As deposition increases, it results in progressive conversion efficiency losses and hence reduced energy yields from the modules and the overall array [7].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, such systems consume a considerable amount of water, which is particularly challenging for desert regions facing water scarcity [20]. In addition, the brush or wiper systems are likely to cause damage to PV panel surfaces, hence performance losses, requiring regular maintenance and high upfront investment [6].Currently, coating for solar systems uses either super-hydrophobic or hydrophilic material [21,22] with new transparent super-hydrophobic surfaces being designed for better durability [23]. However, although the coating materials are effective as applied, their durability and lifetime still require future validation [6,20].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the brush or wiper systems are likely to cause damage to PV panel surfaces, hence performance losses, requiring regular maintenance and high upfront investment [6].Currently, coating for solar systems uses either super-hydrophobic or hydrophilic material [21,22] with new transparent super-hydrophobic surfaces being designed for better durability [23]. However, although the coating materials are effective as applied, their durability and lifetime still require future validation [6,20]. Similarly, the application of electrodynamic screens has also shown high efficiency in terms of cleaning, but the screens degrade after a period of use and were found to be less effective when the modules were wet [6,24].In summary, dust deposits can cause significant performance reductions in certain locations and while a number of approaches to cleaning and prevention have been subjected to previous research, there remains a gap for solutions which are both low-maintenance and robust while minimising use of water and energy.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, although the coating materials are effective as applied, their durability and lifetime still require future validation [6,20]. Similarly, the application of electrodynamic screens has also shown high efficiency in terms of cleaning, but the screens degrade after a period of use and were found to be less effective when the modules were wet [6,24].In summary, dust deposits can cause significant performance reductions in certain locations and while a number of approaches to cleaning and prevention have been subjected to previous research, there remains a gap for solutions which are both low-maintenance and robust while minimising use of water and energy. This research addresses such issues and delivers a study to understand how modules in an array can be cleaned through sequences of interventions encompassing water jets, air jets, mechanical vibrations, and combinations of these.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…the modules impacting photon absorption by the solar cells [5,6]. As deposition increases, it results in progressive conversion efficiency losses and hence reduced energy yields from the modules and the overall array [7].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Dust Removal from Solar PV Modules by Automated Cleaning Systems

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dust accumulation on solar photovoltaic (PV) modules reduces light transmission from the outer surfaces to the solar cells reducing photon absorption and thus contributing to performance reduction of PV systems. In regions such as the Middle East where dust is prevalent and rainfall is scarce, remedial measures are needed to reduce such impacts. Currently, various techniques are being employed to address such sand soiling ranging from mechanical (brushing) to active and passive electrical interventions. This research focuses on mechanical approaches encompassing module vibration, air and water jets, and combinations of these. A reconfigurable pilot-scale testbed of 8 kWp PV plant was installed on a carport shading system within the campus of King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The functional PV carport was configured to allow water recovery and re-use within the testbed. Here, we discuss the overall cleaning design philosophy and approach, systems design, and how multiple cleaning configurations can be realised within the overall PV carport. Results indicate that in this location, sand soiling has a significant effect on performance of PV modules on a timescale of days. In addition, water jets optimised for high volume and low pressure were effective at reducing sand soiling with array power output increasing by over 27%, whilst air jets and module vibration were less effective in reducing soiling to an acceptable level. Overall, the testbed has provided a new approach to testing a combination of cleaning solutions in the field coupled with used water recovery. The proposed approach is important, as currently, there are a large number of solar PV projects being built in Saudi Arabia with more being planned for the future.the modules impacting photon absorption by the solar cells [5,6]. As deposition increases, it results in progressive conversion efficiency losses and hence reduced energy yields from the modules and the overall array [7]. For example, it was shown that in one month the output from an outdoor PV system in Saudi Arabian conditions reduced by over 5% due to dust accumulation [8]. A similar experiment in Abu Dhabi showed a reduction of PV output of around 13% for a similar period [9]. In a review of over eighty recent publications, it was found that the loss in power generation due to dust accumulation on solar PV systems can exceed 40% [10]. Such reduction, which is often quantified by the soiling rate, is found to be strongly affected by four factors: (1) geographic location; (2) physical properties of dust particles, such as size; (3) PV module surface roughness; and (4) weather conditions [11]. Other studies showed that there is a clear difference of particle sizes from sand collected from Saudi Arabia and Iraq, which leads to a different level of soiling rate [12]. Similar observations were made in a study comparing sand samples showing significant difference of particle size from Doha and Namibia [5].Furthermore, weather conditions such as rainfall frequency, humidity, and wi...

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Dust Removal from Solar PV Modules by Automated Cleaning Systems

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Mitigation Techniques for Removal of Dust on Solar Photovoltaic System

Pandiyan

Saravanan²,

Chinnadurai³

et al. 2021

Electrical and Electronic Devices, Circuits, and Materials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Performance assessment of a novel design concentrated photovoltaic system coupled with self‐cleaning and cooling processes

Acar

Gürel

Ergün

et al. 2020

Env Prog and Sustain Energy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The generation of electrical energy with photovoltaic modules is a highly useful and environmentally friendly method. For this reason, studies to increase the electrical energy production from photovoltaic (PV) modules have gained great importance. Concentrated PV systems constitute a significant part of these studies. The major problems with the concentrated PV systems are the risks of lowering the efficiency of the cells (i.e., concentration process increases PV cell temperature) and the thermal damage that can occur with sudden temperature increases. In order to avoid these risks, various applications are used to cool concentrated PV modules. In this study, an active system, which was developed for cleaning and cooling PV modules, was tested. The aim of the present study was to ensure that the surfaces were clean and free of external, contaminating factors such as dust and dirt, and that the PV cells were cooled. During the experiments, two different systems were compared: the system with the cleaning‐cooling processes and the one without these processes. Prior to starting experiments, a hydrophobic liquid onto the surfaces of the PV modules was applied to facilitate the cleaning process. The results of the experiments revealed that the temperature of the PV module was 50°C in the cleaning‐cooling process and 67°C in the system without the cleaning‐cooling process. On the other hand, it was observed that the proposed design increased the power output of PV module up to 40%.

show abstract

Review of yield increase of solar panels through soiling prevention, and a proposed water-free automated cleaning solution

Cited by 143 publications

References 41 publications

Dust Removal from Solar PV Modules by Automated Cleaning Systems

Dust Removal from Solar PV Modules by Automated Cleaning Systems

Mitigation Techniques for Removal of Dust on Solar Photovoltaic System

Performance assessment of a novel design concentrated photovoltaic system coupled with self‐cleaning and cooling processes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About