Dust Deposition on Photovoltaic Modules: Its Effects on Performance

Abstract

AbstractThe electrical energy generated by photovoltaic (PV) modules depends on solar radiation, environmental and climatic factors as well as inherited system and component performances. However, the other external factor such as dust also has significant effects on the performance. This chapter discusses the deposition of dust particles on the PV module surfaces and their effects on system performance. The chapter begins by discussing the fundamentals of a PV module and dust particles originality, transportation and the factors that govern their deposition. Results show that the accumulation of dust particles on PV module surfaces is influenced by dust particles properties (size, shape and chemical properties), environmental conditions (wind speed, location and distance to the dust source, dust concentration and weather condition) and PV module characteristics (tilt angle, orientation and properties of surface material). On the other hand, the presence of dust particles on PV module surfaces reduces significantly the transmitted incident light to the solar cells which in turn decreases the value of the short-circuit current (ISC), maximum power output (Pmax), fill factor (FF), conversion efficiency (η) and energy yield. The rate of decrease of each parameter increases as the dust particles deposition density increases. In addition, the reduction in ISC, Pmax, FF, η and energy yield depends on the physical properties of dust particles such as mean diameter, size distribution and chemical composition. The effect of dust on the performance of PV modules can be eliminated by cleaning the dust particles using different methods. These methods are classified as natural, manual and automatic.KeywordsDust particleDust particle depositionEffect of dust on PV module parameters