Effect of sand dust accumulation on photovoltaic performance in the Saharan environment: southern Algeria (Adrar)

The effect of various industrial dust particles on the performance of photovoltaic panels in Turkey

The accumulation of dust is one of the main causes of power loss in photovoltaic (PV) farms, and the effect of dust particles' size and chemistry on system performance is often overlooked. This study has focused on a comprehensive analysis of the effect of different dust particles collected from common industrial production facilities in Turkey on the performance of PV panels in the indoor laboratory environment. The collected dust samples were analyzed to determine the dust sample particles' chemical properties, size, character, and topography. The data for dust samples at different weights with changes in maximum power point (MPP) of PV panel has been collected using the artificial solar irradiation source system. Thus, the mathematical correlations (R2≥0.965) between the PV panel Thevenin resistance (RTH), fill factor (FF), MPP, and pollution rate were obtained using these collected data and particle swarm optimization (PSO). According to the results of the obtained mathematical correlations, marble dust is 2.3, 3.4, and 4.2 times less polluting than cement, fly ash, and silica fume, respectively. Additionally, it was observed that smaller dust particles block more light than larger ones of the same weight and reduce MPP, FF while increasing the RTH.

Impact of wind on strength and deformation of solar photovoltaic modules

Maritime transport is one of the most important modes of transportation and plays an important role in facilitating world trade. In recent years, the maritime transport industry has been required to comply with "low carbon" policies. To meet the "low carbon shipping" policies, solar energy as a source of renewable energy has attracted more attention in the shipping industry. Photovoltaic solar panels, which to generate ships' electricity, are always vulnerable to wind damage because they are mounted on deck. At present, they do not provide comprehensive guidelines for reducing the impact of wind on photovoltaic structures. The present study contributes to the evaluation of the deformation and robustness of photovoltaic module under ocean wind load according to the standard of IEC 61215 using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The effect of wind on photovoltaic panels is analyzed for three speeds of 32 m per second (m/s), 42 m/s, and 50 m/s.

The Simultaneous Impacts of Seasonal Weather and Solar Conditions on PV Panels Electrical Characteristics

Solar energy usage is thriving day by day. These solar panels are installed to absorb solar energy and produce electrical energy. As a result, the efficiency of solar panels depends on different environmental factors, namely, air temperature, dust (aerosols and accumulated dust), and solar incidence, and photovoltaic panel angles. The effects of real conditions factors on power and efficiency of photovoltaic panels are studied in this paper through testing the panel in real environmental tests. To study the mentioned parameters precisely, two panels with different angles are used. The case study is regarding a region of Tehran, Iran, in summer and winter seasons. The results show that panel efficiency during winter is higher than summer due to air temperature decrement. It is discovered that among air pollutants, Al and Fe have the most share in polluting the air that affect the photovoltaic efficiency. Moreover, measuring the accumulated dust on the panels shows more amount in winter in comparison with summer. The important point in studying the effect of tilt angle is that inconformity between solar incidence and photovoltaic panel angles would result in solar radiation absorption and eventually panel efficiency loss and also, photovoltaic panel installation angle would affect the amount of dust deposited on its surface.

A comprehensive review of technologies used to improve the performance of PV systems in a view of cooling mediums, reflectors design, spectrum splitting, and economic analysis

Solar photovoltaic panels are increasingly being used throughout the world, particularly in Egypt, where a station has been constructed in the city of Aswan with a capacity of 1480 MW, and is classified as one of the largest photovoltaic plants in the Middle East country, where photovoltaic systems are characterized as environmentally friendly and do not produce any pollutants, and photovoltaic systems have the ability to operate with diffuse radiation. It is therefore very important to understand how photovoltaic panels respond to changing weather conditions and how climate conditions affect the performance of photovoltaic cells, as only 15-20% of solar radiation can be converted to electricity, while the rest is wasted as thermal heat. There are two very important factors influencing the efficiency of the photovoltaic cells: the cell temperature and the solar radiation intensity on the photovoltaic cells. Cooling of the optical surfaces is one of the main factors that must be considered in order to achieve the highest efficiency when operating the solar PV systems. By using the appropriate cooling technology for the photovoltaic cells, the electrical efficiency is improved, and the cell degradation rate is decreased over time, which increases the life span of the PV panels. In some applications, such as industrial and domestic applications, excess energy removed with cooling technology could be used. The cooling mediums used to cool the PV panels are water, air, PCM, and nanofluid. Also, the spectral splitting utilization represents a good solution for hybrid solar photovoltaic-thermal applications to obtain higher performance of the photovoltaic. This paper gives a brief analysis of technologies used to improve PV systems efficiency in terms of the nature of cooling media, spectral splitting, and reflectors. Moreover, the economic study of these techniques is presented to demonstrate their economic feasibility. The aims of the present review paper are to provide good knowledge and understanding of all technologies used to improve the performance of PV systems and demonstrate the economic feasibility of these technologies.

Assessment of soiling effect on PV module glass transmittance in Moroccan capital region

This work is a first part of the study in development on the mapping of soiling losses in the region of Rabat-Sale-Kenitra in Morocco. To perform the work, two holders of glass samples have been constructed and installed in two different sites of Sale City for three successive periods (from April to June 2019). At the end of each period, the transmittance losses of the glass samples as well as the mass of deposited soils are systematically measured. SEM (scanning electronic microscopy) analyses are also performed for more investigation and deep understanding. The obtained results show that the relationship between soil mass density and glass transmittance loss is not always linear as could be expected. They also show that soiling losses are strongly depending on the environment and nature of the surrounding installation spaces. The SEM analysis results of the 1st period and the inclined surfaces have shown that particles are greater in the range of 2-11 μm and the majority tends to have a regular shape in the two sites. Nevertheless, the frequencies are different. From this study, it can be concluded that it is highly recommended characterizing the site where soiling measurements are conducted not only by its location/city but also by its environment characteristics.