Outdoor Test Facility Research Articles

Techno-economic feasibility of integrating hybrid battery-hydrogen energy storage system into an academic building

Green hydrogen production and storage are vital in mitigating carbon emissions and sustainable transition. However, the high investment cost and management requirements are the bottleneck of utilizing hybrid hydrogen-based systems in microgrids. Given the necessity of cost-effective and optimal design of these systems, the present study examines techno-economic feasibility of integrating hybrid hydrogen-based systems into an outdoor test facility. With this perspective, several solar-driven hybrid scenarios are introduced at two energy storage levels, namely the battery and hydrogen energy storage systems, including the high-pressure gaseous hydrogen and metal hydride storage tanks. Dynamic simulations are carried out to address subtle interactions in components of the hybrid system by establishing a TRNSYS model coupled to a Fortran code simulating the metal hydride storage system. The OpenStudio-EnergyPlus plugin is used to simulate the building load, validate against experimental data, according to the measured data and monitored operating conditions. Aimed at enabling efficient integration of energy storage systems, a techno-enviro-economic optimization algorithm is developed to simultaneously minimize the levelized cost of the electricity and maximize the CO2 mitigation in each proposed hybrid scenario. The results indicate that integrating the gaseous hydrogen and metal hydride storages into the photovoltaic-alone scenario enhances 22.6% and 14.4% of the annual renewable factor. Accordingly, the inclusion of battery system to these hybrid scenarios gives a 30.4% and 20.3 % boost to the renewable factor value, respectively. Although the inclusion of battery energy storage into the hybrid systems increases the renewable factor, the results imply that it reduces the hydrogen production rate via electrolysis. The optimized values of the levelized cost of electricity and CO2 emission for different scenarios vary in the range of 0.376–0.789 $/kWh and 6.57–9.75 ton, respectively. The multi-criteria optimizations improve the levelized cost of electricity and CO2 emission by up to 46.2% and 11.3%, with respect to their preliminary design.

Net-zero energy management through multi-criteria optimizations of a hybrid solar-hydrogen energy system for a laboratory in Toronto, Canada

Hydrogen production and storage in hybrid systems is a promising solution for sustainable energy transition, decoupling energy generation from demand and boosting the deployment of renewable energy. Nonetheless, the optimal and cost-effective design of hybrid hydrogen-based systems is crucial to tackle existing limitations in the diffusion of these systems. The present study explores net-zero energy management via a multi-objective optimization algorithm for an outdoor test facility equipped with a hydrogen-based hybrid energy production system. Aimed at enabling efficient integration of hydrogen fuel cell system, the proposed solution attempts to maximize the renewable factor (RF) and carbon mitigation in the hybrid system as well as to minimize the grid dependency and the life cycle cost (LCC) of the system. In this context, the techno-enviro-economic optimization of the hybrid system is conducted by employing a statistical approach to identify optimal design variables and conflictive objective functions. To examine interactions in components of the hybrid system, a series of dynamic simulations are carried out by developing a TRNSYS code coupled with the OpenStudio/EnergyPlus plugin. The obtained results indicate a striking disparity in the monthly RF values as well as the hydrogen production rate, and, therefore, in the level of grid dependency. It is shown that the difference in LCC between optimization scenarios suggested by the design of experiments could reach $15,780, corresponding to 57 % of the mean initial cost. The LCOE value yielded for optimum scenarios varies between 0.389 and 0.537 $/kWh. The scenario with net-zero target demonstrates the lowest LCOE value and the highest carbon mitigation, i.e., 828 kg CO2/yr, with respect to the grid supply case. However, the LCC in this scenario exceeds $57,370, which is the highest among all optimum scenarios. Furthermore, it was revealed that the lowest RF in optimal scenarios is equal to 66.2 % and belongs to the most economical solution.

Visual and IR Inspection Analysis of PV Modules Installed at the Desert Climate of Qatar

This study presents the results of visual and infrared (IR) inspection of photovoltaics (PV) technologies installed at the Qatar environment and energy research institute (QEERI) outdoor test facility (OTF) at Qatar Foundation (Doha, Qatar). Silicon based PV technologies which have been operational in the field since 2014, have been investigated for various failure modes. The visual inspections were carried out for all the PV modules from the backside however, the inspection from the front side was not possible for some modules due to heavy soiling. The visual defects which were identified during this study include, cracking of the back glass, yellowing of the encapsulant material, cracks formation in the back sheet, and pits formation in the back sheet. The visual inspection revealed that around 19 % of the total modules have back sheet cracking and discoloration, 8 % have yellowing of the encapsulant, and around 4 % were having pits in the back sheet. Moreover, one module was detected with back glass cracking. The IR inspection was also done both from front and backside for all the silicon PV modules to detect hot spots. The IR inspection has revealed that hot spots were generated at different locations of the PV modules. 39 % of the modules have hot spots at the location of junction boxes, around 6 % of the modules have hot spots in junction boxes and around 1 % have hot spots at the locations away from junction boxes. The visual and IR inspection has revealed that the dominant failure modes which have been observed for silicon-based technologies at OTF are the hot spots generation at junction boxes and the back sheet cracking, and its yellowing.

Toward Sustainable Manufacturing Facilities: Utilization of Solar Energy for Efficient Scheduling of Manufacturing Processes

Abstract The utilization of solar energy as a renewable energy source has been a subject of interest for researchers in recent years. Despite recent advances in promoting solar energy, its intermittent and unpredictable nature limits its widespread utilization in manufacturing facilities. This research paper focuses on utilizing solar energy for efficient scheduling of manufacturing processes while keeping friendly environmental conditions for the workers. The work proposes an energy-aware dynamic scheduling procedure to minimize production and building costs by optimizing the utilization of an onsite photovoltaic (PV) system energy generation. The proposed method considers various factors such as the availability of solar energy, energy consumption of different manufacturing processes, and thermal requirements of the building. A stochastic energy prediction algorithm is developed to forecast the hourly one-day-ahead solar resources based on year-long solar radiation observations collected from an outdoor solar test facility in Qatar. This study shows that using the forecasted PV output improves the overall efficiency of manufacturing processes and building thermal requirements, thus achieving up to a 20% reduction in energy costs. These findings help the development of sustainable manufacturing systems and decrease the negative environmental impacts from industries.

A Comprehensive Review of a Decade of Field PV Soiling Assessment in QEERI’s Outdoor Test Facility in Qatar: Learned Lessons and Recommendations

Soiling of photovoltaic (PV) modules is a major issue due to its critical impact on PV performance and reliability, especially in the desert and arid regions such as the state of Qatar. Soiling frequently results in a severe reduction in PV power generation, which drastically affects the economical profitability of the PV plant, and therefore, must be mitigated. The most common way of mitigating PV soiling is surface cleaning. However, the latter could consequently increase the associated operation and maintenance (O&M) cost of the PV site. However, previous studies indicated that even if the best-optimized cleaning schemes are used, the actual global solar-power production can still be reduced by about 4%, which is associated with at least EUR 5 billion in annual revenue losses worldwide. This loss is expected to reach a conservative value of EUR 7 billion in 2023. Accordingly, investigating the interplayed physics phenomena related to the various soiling processes, the site-specific O&M costs, along with a techno-economical assessment of state-of-the-art soiling mitigation strategies (including innovative anti-soiling coating materials) is of paramount importance. The goal of this comprehensive report is to provide the solar community at large, and those focusing on the desert environment in particular, with real field measurements that provide key findings and challenges in addressing soiling research obtained from multiyear testing at the Outdoor Test Facility (OTF) field station, located in the desert environment of the city of Doha, in the state of Qatar.

Experimental assessment of the energy performance of microfluidic glazing components: The first results of a monitoring campaign carried out in an outdoor test facility

Microfluidic glazing is a newly developed, adaptive, transparent component characterized by micro-channels filled with a circulating liquid, functioning as a heat exchanger and controlling the heat transfer through a façade. The performance of this glazing depends on its design and operation on site. The aim of this study is to present the results of an in-situ performance evaluation of microfluidic glazing components obtained from an experimental campaign in outdoor test cells, and to explore their potential and limitations under realistic working conditions. A case study has been conducted in Turin, Italy, in which two small south-oriented triple glazing units, upgraded with different functional elements, including a laminated semi-transparent Perovskite solar cell and microfluidic glazing, have been investigated under different operating conditions. Overall, the experimental campaign has shown a reduction in the heat exchange through the façade of about 70%. Moreover, this technology allows the temperature in the Perovskite solar cell to be decreased by as much as 10 °C, and the central glazing temperature to be reduced by as much as 41 °C, when set as the central panel, thereby effectively decreasing the risk of thermal degradation or thermal shocks. A temperature difference of 12 °C and 16 °C was recorded, depending on the modules, between the inlet and outlet temperatures.

Performance of Monofacial and Bifacial Silicon Heterojunction Modules under Desert Conditions and the Impact of PV Soiling

The performance and reliability of photovoltaic (PV) modules in a desert climate depends, among other factors, on the solar irradiance, operating temperature, and soiling rate. Since the impacts of these environmental factors depend on the type of PV module technology, an assessment of the PV technology to be deployed in the desert climate is crucial for the bankability of PV projects. In this work, the indoor and outdoor performance of monofacial and bifacial silicon heterojunction PV module technologies were assessed. For the indoor measurements, a comparison of the current-voltage (IV) characteristics was performed at standard testing condition and at different temperatures. The two module technologies showed similar temperature coefficients and expected performance within the measurement uncertainty. Comparing the specific energy yield of the modules installed in the Outdoor Test Facility (OTF), the bifacial module showed a 15% higher energy yield than the monofacial module and is attributed to the contribution of the bifacial rear side, thanks to the reflected irradiance received by the bifacial module and the high albedo of 0.43 measured at the OTF. Moreover, the bifacial module was found to be less sensitive to the PV soiling than the monofacial module. The results showed that the frequency of module cleaning could be reduced for the bifacial module compared with the monofacial module, resulting in a remarkable decrease in the module cleaning cost and PV site Operation and Maintenance cost.

Characterizing soiling losses for photovoltaic systems in dry climates: A case study in Cyprus

Ensuring optimal performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems requires the extensive assessment and understanding of losses of different origin that affect these installations. Soiling is a key loss factor influencing the performance of PV systems, particularly in arid and dry climatic regions, and its thorough knowledge and modelling aspects including the seasonal evolution is challenging for the early stages of energy prospecting for PV power plants. The purpose of this study is to address this fundamental challenge by evaluating the loss of soiling and the performance of six soiling models based on both physical and machine learning (ML) approaches. Specifically, the case study is a soiling test-bench experimental apparatus installed at the outdoor test facility of the University of Cyprus in Nicosia, Cyprus. The climatic conditions of the site represent a dry climate with high PV potential due to high irradiation levels. The obtained results reported soiling rates ranging from 0.039%/day to 0.535%/day depending on the season and the presence of dust episodes. The average yield daily and monthly soiling losses were 1.9% and 2.4% over a 2-year period, respectively. Furthermore, the comparative analysis of the different soiling models illustrated that the physical models achieved slightly better performance than the ML models with root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.16% and 0.83% for daily and monthly losses, respectively. Finally, the findings provide evidence and useful information on the performance and limitations of the different soiling models for fielded PV systems located in arid and dry climatic zones.

The Anti-Snow Behaviour of Icephobic Coatings: Laboratory and In-Field Testing

Overhead power line conductors and ground wires are affected by ice and snow accretion which can easily adhere to their surface, causing the breakage of cables and the collapse of pylons due to excessive weight. In Italy, the main concern is about wet snow: this phenomenon occurs close to zero degrees Celsius with snow density reaching up to 350 Kg/m3. Anti-icing and anti-snow coatings represent a possible strategy to mitigate ice accretion on overhead power line structures. Many works are oriented to achieve anti-icing properties, starting from superhydrophobic coatings or slippery coatings; however, there is a lack of knowledge about the anti-snow behaviour of these surfaces. In this work, aluminium alloy conductor and ground-wire samples were prepared with different coatings, which include hydrophobic, superhydrophobic and slippery surfaces prepared in the laboratory. Characterisations of sample wettability at room and low temperatures and ice adhesion strength were carried out in the laboratory. Anti-snow behaviour was studied in outdoor test facilities in the Italian Alps during several snowfall events. Furthermore, the environmental parameters were also recorded. Two figures of merit were developed to quantify anti-snow behaviour of the samples: one describing the fraction of surfaces covered by snow during the snowfall event and the other representing the maximum accretion load reached on the samples. Results of laboratory and field testing are compared and discussed. Field testing evidenced a promising snowphobic behaviour for all the samples, despite the different anti-icing and wettability properties measured in the laboratory. The mitigation of the phenomenon was found to occur mainly with two different mechanisms: the delay in snow accretion on the surface and/or the early shedding of the snow-sleeve.

Evaluating the bushfire resistance of a safe room using full-scale experiments

To minimise the psychological and physiological impairment due to bushfire losses, safe rooms are identified as one of the last resort solutions. This paper proposes a safe room built with cavity insulated light gauge steel framed walls and roof lined externally with Autoclaved Aerated Concrete panels and internally with fire-rated gypsum plasterboards. Full-scale experiments of the proposed safe room were conducted at an outdoor fire testing facility to investigate its bushfire resistance under flame zone conditions. A two-source bushfire exposure was simulated to replicate an approaching bushfire and a nearby building fire. Internal and external air temperatures, surface temperatures along and across the wall and roof surfaces, heat flux, wind speed and direction were recorded to evaluate the performance of the safe room. The safe room performed well with respect to heat transfer, exhibiting a significant safety margin for 67 min duration. The external building envelope exhibited good thermal shock resistance despite the high heating rate in bushfires compared to building fires. The study was further extended to investigate the performance of the safe room under repeated bushfire exposures where the safe room exhibited similar fire resistance. The results of this study reveal that a safe room solution is feasible and will survive extreme bushfire conditions.

Outdoor test facilities for the experimental performance evaluation of construction materials and systems: The BeTOP case

Proposing new materials and systems to improve the performance and energy efficiency of buildings is often followed by performance evaluation to monitor how they perform and contribute. Experimental performance characterization of new and existing building materials and systems is crucial to understanding their behaviour in relation to indoor environmental and conditional changes, in addition to outdoor environmental changes. Full-scale experimental test cell facilities have been at the forefront of experimental performance evaluation in building-related research, as they can provide a realistic representation of buildings, which includes environmental conditions, building structure, and operational characteristics. In this paper, the new test cell facility of BeTOP, located in the city of Toronto, Ontario, is introduced as a full-scale experimental facility with the capability of multiple practical tests simultaneously. This paper describes the characteristics of this test cell, including structure details, testing capabilities, system details, previous testing campaigns, and future testing potential. The design of such a full-scale testing facility is shown to be crucial in a continental climate, such as Toronto, to observe the long-term performance of new systems under variable boundary conditions with cold winters and hot and humid summer seasons.

Empirical validation of co-simulation models for adaptive building envelopes

The thermal performance of adaptive building envelopes can be evaluated using building performance simulation tools. Simulation capabilities and accuracy in predicting the dynamic behaviour of adaptive building envelopes can be enhanced through co-simulation. However, it is unclear how accurately co-simulation can predict the performance of adaptive building envelopes and how the accuracy of adaptive building envelope models created in co-simulation setups can be assessed and validated. Therefore, this study presents new evidence on the empirical validation of co-simulation setups for adaptive building envelopes by establishing an assessment framework to determine the extent to which they can accurately represent the real world. The framework was applied to a case study to validate a co-simulation setup for a blind automation system using monitored data from MATELab, a full-scale outdoor test facility with realistic indoor and outdoor conditions. The validation of the co-simulation model of MATELab resulted in a median CV-RMSE index, a measure of model accuracy, of 5.9%. This indicates that the simulated data points have a small variance relative to the measured data points, showing a good model fit. In the future, modellers from the façade community can use the assessment framework for their co-simulation setups.

Effect of surface roughness on tyre characteristics

Tyre characterisation is not a trivial or inexpensive exercise thus it is important to obtain representative measurements during tyre characterisation tests. Different test methods exist and vary from laboratory tests to outdoor tests on different surfaces. Each of the test surfaces have different surface roughness and will result in different tyre characteristics. This study compares friction coefficient measurements on dry non-deformable surfaces for laboratory test surfaces and outdoor test tracks on the same agricultural tyre with large lugs at two inflation pressures and three tread wear conditions. The influence of surface roughness on friction coefficient is investigated. The macrotexture and microtexture of multiple surfaces are measured and compared. The importance of measuring the microtexture of the outdoor test surface is noted. Static/Non-rolling tyre tests in a laboratory are compared to Static/Non-rolling tyre tests as well as Dynamic/Rolling tyres tests at an outdoor test facility. Excellent correlation is found between the Static vs. Dynamic and laboratory vs. outdoor tests results when the laboratory tests are conducted on a surface representing the outdoor surface.

PV-soiling field-assessment of Mars™ optical sensor operating in the harsh desert environment of the state of Qatar

We report on the field assessment of the Mars™ optical soiling sensor performance for PV-soiling measurement under harsh conditions of a desert environment. Mars™ was installed in a hot, sunny, and dusty climate in the Outdoor Test Facility, managed by Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute, located in Doha (state of Qatar). Mars™ is a compact system, easy to install at different geographical sites, and it is designed to allow an efficient and cost-effective PV-soiling measurement with lower labor and operation & maintenance requirements, compared to conventional soiling measurement requiring conventional clean/soiled reference module pair method. Despite some discrepancy in the soiling measurements that were more pronounced during certain periods of time than the others, overall, a good fit was noticed between the two methods. A mismatch of less than ∼ 0.1 %/day between the light transmission loss estimated by the MarsTM sensor and from a PV array is identified, and results are discussed accordingly. We demonstrate thus the feasibility of Mars™ to be deployed in different geographical locations and it’s potential in measuring wide range of PV-soiling in commercial-scale PV installations.

An In-Depth Experimental Investigation of the Outdoor Performance of Wafer and Thin Film Photovoltaics Technologies in a Tropical Climate

Abstract The photovoltaics (PV) industry is booming at an impressive rate. Knowledge of the outdoor performance of different PV technologies under different climatic conditions is becoming increasingly important for all stakeholders. The aim of this research was to perform the outdoor characterization of three PV technologies in a tropical climate and evaluate their performances with the aid of a set of key performance indicators. An innovative energy autonomous outdoor test facility has been used to measure the weather conditions and the IV curves of mono-Si, poly-Si, and Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) PV modules. Each IV curve was sampled within less than a second, for every 10 min, between sunrise and sunset for a whole year, representing a data set of around 28,000 IV curves of 240 points each. The variations of current, voltage, and power were thoroughly studied for changes in temperature and irradiance. This paper reports the variations of temperature coefficients of current, voltage, and power with the intensity of light. While PV module documentation only presents the temperature coefficients of the short circuit current and open circuit voltage at standard test conditions, this paper additionally provides highly valuable information to PV system designers on the variation of these coefficients in the field. The research is also the first to report the variations of the fill factor with temperature and irradiance. In general, the wafer technologies were found to have a better performance than the thin film technology. Moreover, the open-circuit temperature coefficient was found to improve for higher irradiances only for the wafer technologies, while that for the thin-film technology experienced a degradation. The temperature coefficient of current for the mono-Si module was found to be positive at low irradiance levels, but negative at higher irradiance levels.

Capacitive Load-Based Smart OTF for High Power Rated SPV Module

Solar energy is the most promising renewable resource with an unbounded energy source, capable of meeting all human energy requirements. Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) is an effective approach to convert sunlight into electricity, and it has a promising future with consistently rising energy demand. In this work, we propose a smart solution of outdoor performance characterization of the SPV module utilizing a robust, lightweight, portable, and economical Outdoor Test Facility (OTF) with the Internet of Things (IoT) capability. This approach is focused on the capacitive load-based method, which offers improved accuracy and cost-effective data logging using Raspberry Pi and enables the OTF to sweep during the characterization of the SPV module automatically. A demonstration using an experimental setup is also provided in the paper to validate the proposed OTF. This paper further discusses the advantages of using the capacitive load approach over the resistive load approach. IoT’s inherent benefits empower the proposed OTF method on the backgrounds of real-time tracking, data acquisition, and analysis for outdoor output performance characterization by capturing Current–Voltage (I–V) and Power–Voltage (P–V) curves of the SPV module.

Development, implementation, and experimental outdoor evaluation of quadcopter controllers for computationally limited embedded systems

Quadcopters are increasingly used for applications ranging from hobby to industrial products and services. This paper serves as a tutorial on the design, simulation, implementation, and experimental outdoor testing of digital quadcopter flight controllers, including Explicit Model Predictive Control, Linear Quadratic Regulator, and Proportional Integral Derivative. A quadcopter was flown in an outdoor testing facility and made to track an inclined, circular path at different tangential velocities under ambient wind conditions. Controller performance was evaluated via multiple metrics, such as position tracking error, velocity tracking error, and onboard computation time. Challenges related to the use of computationally limited embedded hardware and flight in an outdoor environment are addressed with proposed solutions.

Design and Development of Low Cost, Portable, On-Field I-V Curve Tracer Based on Capacitor Loading for High Power Rated Solar Photovoltaic Modules

This paper outlines a novel design of low-cost, portable, fast, and precise Current-Voltage Curve Tracer (IVCT) with automated parameter extraction for high power rated Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) modules to effectively and efficiently determine the outdoor operating status of SPV power generators. The developed IVCT is based on a Raspberry Pi microprocessor, a super-capacitive load, heat sinkable discharge resistances, and sensors with high sensitivity and resolution for measuring light irradiance, module temperature, current, and voltage. The proposed Outdoor Test Facility (OTF) consists of an Current-Voltage ( $I-V$ ) and a Power-Voltage ( $P-V$ ) curve tracer that uses a dynamic loading supercapacitor to safely and quickly scan the SPV module performance characteristics under real-world operating conditions. It also helps to achieve uniform sampling with better data accuracy. It uses Raspberry Pi as a central processing unit for low-cost data acquisition, data logging, and data computation. Furthermore, results from on-field testing of various small-scale SPV modules show that the $I-V$ tracer can acquire higher-resolution characteristics curves and perform accurate model parameter recognition in real-time. Proposed IVCT can measure individual SPV modules without altering the electrical interconnection circuit, and the operating point can be shifted to 20 $A$ and $45~V$ in few seconds. The proposed system recomposes the SPV module $I-V$ characteristics based on this variance, with accuracies of 1 to 3% for the region near maximum power.

Double skin façade integrating semi-transparent photovoltaics: Experimental study on forced convection and heat recovery

Semi-Transparent Photovoltaics (STPV) can be integrated on Double Skin Facades (DSF) to enhance the energy performance of a building. The integrated STPV can simultaneously control solar gains and generate electricity. The optimal operation of the DSF through control of the air flow can enhance the heat extraction from the DSF during heating season, increase the electrical and thermal efficiency of the system, and decrease the heating load of the building. In the present study, the lack of literature in the development of an average Nusselt number correlations for DSF integrating STPV (DSF-STPV) is identified and a new index which corresponds to the heat that is recovered is introduced and is distinguished from the thermal efficiency of the system. Also, in the present study, average Nusselt number correlations for air flow in DSF with STPV are experimentally developed, using a full-scale outdoor test facility. The effect of the incident solar radiation, the wind driven exterior convection and the ambient temperature have been taken into consideration in the development of these convective heat transfer correlations. The properties of the materials of the DSF are also taken into consideration such as the transmittance of the STPV, the PV cell efficiency and the thermal conductance of the glazing. In this process, a new dimensionless number is defined to generalize the results, particularly for the expected operating conditions. The Nusselt number correlations are then used for a sensitivity analysis for different wind speeds and for the assessment of the thermal performance of the system. The heat losses of a typical building in comparison to a building that integrates DSF-STPV can be 20% higher resulting in losses that reach values of 8 W/m2 of façade area. The heat recovery index can reach more than 30% and the total solar utilization efficiency can be between 30% and 77% for different experimental conditions.

Optimization of PV Cleaning Practices: Comparison Between Performance-Based and Periodic-Based Approaches

Abstract Soiling of photovoltaics (PV) panels is affected by various factors such as relative humidity, dust concentration, and panel tilt angle. The soiling can lead to significant losses in electricity production, especially in a place like Dubai, UAE. Soiling can also lead to long-term damage of the PV panels such as degradation and delamination due to the hot spots caused by dirt deposition. It is important to choose the right cleaning strategy (method and frequency) to maximize the electricity production and economic performance of the PV facility. An optimization algorithm was developed and tested for multiple PV panel configurations based in Dubai Water and Electricity Authority’s (DEWA) outdoor test facility (OTF) solar lab. The algorithm’s input included electricity production, soiling rates (SRs), electricity price, and cleaning costs. The output included number of cleaning events and the extra revenue as compared with the current practice of periodic (5-day cycle) manual cleaning. Four different cleaning scenarios were tested and compared with the current scenario. Three scenarios resulted in improved net cost benefit (NCB), up to 34% for the case of performance-based manual cleaning. The fourth scenario resulted in diminished NCB, down by 245% for the case of daily automatic cleaning. Other findings of the study included higher tilt angles that resulted in lower cleaning requirements and thin-film PV panels that required less cleaning than first generation PV panels (mono/polycrystalline). The algorithm is an effective yet simple tool to help operators optimize the NCB of their PV facilities.