Understanding the impact of desert stressors factors on standard PV panel performance: Case study of Algeria's desert

Abstract

Compared to moderate climate conditions, hot and dry environment, as known desert, present the most difficult environment that affects negatively PV panels performance. In the present paper, the root causes that have the major contribution in PV panel performance degradation in desert climates and the direct relationship between desert climate factors and accelerate degradation mechanism are analyzed. Algeria's desert is chosen as a case to study, an overview of Algeria's desert climate has been presented. High solar irradiation accompanied by high ambient temperature has been considered as the most responsible for accelerated discoloration and initiating damage of EVA encapsulant material which can create a challenge for long-term reliability of c-Si PV panels. The declared 20–25 year PV panel lifetime is very optimistic in Algeria's desert climates. This research work can be beneficial in future studies on challenges related to the optimal performance and the expected operating lifetime of photovoltaic applications in desert climates.