Experimental study on the super-hydrophobic coating performance for solar photovoltaic modules at different wind directions

Abstract

Currently, solar photovoltaic power generation technology is developing rapidly around the world to achieve the objective of carbon neutrality. The deposition of dust on solar photovoltaic modules is one of the main reasons for the decline in power generation efficiency. To identify the factors affecting dust deposition, scholars have conducted numerous outdoor experiments or numerical simulations. However, there are still few studies conducted in an indoor setting. Also, there is a lack of investigation into the effect of wind direction on dust deposition. In this paper, three indoor wind tunnel experiments are designed. Considering the characteristics of wind speed, tilt angle and wind direction, the performance of super-hydrophobic coatings is evaluated. The results show that the density of dust deposition on the photovoltaic module decreases with the increase of tile angle when it faces the wind, with the dust-proof efficiency of the super-hydrophobic coating reaching a maximum of 94.43% at 75°. At the same time, the density of dust deposition increases with wind speed, and the dust-proof efficiency is 28.81% at maximum when the wind speed is 1.2 m/s. In addition, the density of dust deposition gradually declines with wind direction, and the dust-proof efficiency reaches 65.85% at maximum when the photovoltaic module faces the wind. Therefore, the use of super-hydrophobic coatings can significantly reduce the dust deposition on photovoltaic modules and improve the efficiency of photoelectric conversion.