Abstract
With an elevation of 1000 m above sea level, once the coastal mountain range is crossed, the Atacama Desert receives the highest levels of solar radiation in the world. Global horizontal irradiations over 2500 kWh/(m2 year) and a cloudiness index below 3% were determined. However, this index rises to 45% in the coastal area, where the influence of the Pacific Ocean exists with a large presence of marine aerosols. It is on the coastal area that residential photovoltaic (PV) applications are concentrated. This work presents a study of the soiling impact on PV modules at the coastline of Atacama Desert. The current–voltage characteristics of two multicrystalline PV modules exposed to outdoor conditions were compared, while one of them was cleaned daily. Asymptotic behavior was observed in the accumulated surface dust density, over 6 months. This behavior was explained by the fact that as the glass became soiled, the probability of glass-to-particle interaction decreased in favor of a more likely particle-to-particle interaction. The surface dust density was at most 0.17 mg·cm−2 per month. Dust on the module led to current losses in the range of 19% after four months, which in turn produced a reduction of 13.5%rel in efficiency.
Highlights
The Atacama Desert is one of the places with the world’s highest solar radiation indices
The PV modules tested were mounted at the facilities of University of Antofagasta (UA), located at −23.70◦ S, −70.42◦ W, on the coast of the Chilean portion of the Atacama Desert
This region had a BWn-type climate, according to Köppen’s classification [17]. It corresponded to a coastal zone characterized by scarce rainfall and an extremely dry environment, making it an extremely arid area (Figure 2)
Summary
The Atacama Desert is one of the places with the world’s highest solar radiation indices It is characterized by a great number of sunny days, with a cloud index lower than 3% in non-coastal areas and a low content of aerosols, water vapor, and ozone in the atmosphere [1]. The climatic conditions of the desert, the industry, and the strong influence of the Pacific Ocean on this area, pose important challenges for the optimal operation of energy generated through photovoltaic (PV) systems. One of these problems is the soiling effect on the PV module surface [2]
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