Experimental study on the effect of tilt angle and dust fouling on the electrical parameters of PV modules in Bambey, Senegal

Abstract

This article presents an experimental study of the effect of dust fouling on the electrical performance of a PV module for different angles of inclination in a semi-arid and temperate environment. In this study, five PV modules were installed above the roof of a laboratory at a height of 3.5 m at inclinations of 0⁰, 15⁰, 30⁰, 45⁰ and 60⁰. The exposure time of the modules without cleaning is 6 months between October and April. In order to analyze the performance of the PV modules, the short-circuit current and the open-circuit voltage were measured every 5 minutes. The results in this study showed that the greatest loss of energy production due to dust was noted at the level of the 15⁰ inclination with a percentage of daily loss of the order of 46% compared to the production of this same module in the case where the latter is considered clean.