In-situ assessment of photovoltaic soiling mitigation techniques in northern Nigeria

Abstract

The photovoltaic (PV) system's performance suffers from intensifying external factors such as soiling, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions with massive solar energy potential. Mitigation techniques are one of the crucial factors to prevent and restore PV performance. Therefore, in this study, five cost-effective mitigation techniques such as natural cleaning, manual cleaning with squeegee/water, manual cleaning with a brush, self-cleaning with a hydrophobic coating, and mechanised cleaning with a wiper using acrylic plastic and low iron glass coupons were executed solar farm based in Nigeria. The finding shows that the self-cleaning technique provides high preventive and restorative performance during the wet season (August) with ~ 99% optical efficiency for a glass. Both manual cleanings with squeegee/water and self-cleaning demonstrated high optical efficiency, with first being the greatest with 96% and the latter 95% during the dry season (January) on a glass coupon. Furthermore, results show that low iron glass is more durable than acrylic plastic when exposed to the harsh condition. Our study envisages the implemented PV soiling mitigation technique's performance and comparative cost analysis of a full pledge PV panel over a longer duration in different regions, considering the factors influencing PV system performance.