Economic Optimization of Maintenance against Soiling in Photovoltaic Plants

Abstract

The electrical energy produced by a photovoltaic system is directly associated with the availability of solar radiation. Nonetheless, external factors related to location and geographical conditions – such as atmospheric temperature, clouds, and altitude - can have major impacts on energy generation. One of these externalities is the sedimentation of materials on the surface of the photovoltaic module, which leads to significant reductions in the power generation capacity, resulting in costs to the generating plants. Cleaning is considered the most efficient maintenance to mitigate the impacts of soiling on photovoltaic modules. Therefore, this work aims to develop a model for analysis and optimization of preventive maintenance plans for cleaning photovoltaic modules, to mitigate the effects of dust deposition on energy generation and, consequently, on operational cash flow. Costs of production loss due to soiling were considered, as well as corresponding maintenance costs, as a function of the frequency of cleaning, and thus accounted for the OPEX costs of the power plant operation, to identify an optimum point of cleaning frequency, minimizing OPEX costs.