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A review of the environmental factors degrading the performance of silicon wafer-based photovoltaic modules: Failure detection methods and essential mitigation techniques

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  • Santhakumari, Manju
  • Sagar, Netramani

Abstract

The energy yield from the solar photovoltaic plant mainly depends on available solar flux, quality of the related power-conditioning equipment incorporated in the system, technical specifications of the panel, the geographic location and also on the environmental parameters. This study provides a comprehensive review of the effect of environmental factors on the various components of photovoltaic systems. It emphasises the environmental factors such as dust, ambient temperature, wind velocity, humidity, snowfall, hailstorms and sandstorms, which deteriorates the energy efficiency of solar plants and the various failure modes of the panels caused by these factors. Finally, the focus is on the methods to find out different failure modes of photovoltaic panels and the various mitigation techniques to improve the energy yield. These mitigation techniques are essential for positioning of photovoltaic arrays in remote, desert, dusty and areas proximate to higher wind speed. This review provides an outlook for the developers to take precautionary measures before locating the site and designing the solar plants.

Suggested Citation

  • Santhakumari, Manju & Sagar, Netramani, 2019. "A review of the environmental factors degrading the performance of silicon wafer-based photovoltaic modules: Failure detection methods and essential mitigation techniques," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 83-100.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:110:y:2019:i:c:p:83-100
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2019.04.024
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    5. Anis Ahmad Sher & Naseem Ahmad & Mariyam Sattar & Usman Ghafoor & Umer Hameed Shah, 2023. "Effect of Various Dusts and Humidity on the Performance of Renewable Energy Modules," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-20, June.
    6. Savvakis, Nikolaos & Tsoutsos, Theocharis, 2021. "Theoretical design and experimental evaluation of a PV+PCM system in the mediterranean climate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
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    15. Raillani, Benyounes & Salhi, Mourad & Chaatouf, Dounia & Bria, Abir & Amraqui, Samir & Mezrhab, Ahmed, 2023. "A new proposed method to mitigate the soiling rate of a photovoltaic array using first-row height," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
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    17. Nain, Preeti & Kumar, Arun, 2020. "Understanding the possibility of material release from end-of-life solar modules: A study based on literature review and survey analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 903-918.
    18. Pillai, Dhanup S. & Shabunko, Veronika & Krishna, Amal, 2022. "A comprehensive review on building integrated photovoltaic systems: Emphasis to technological advancements, outdoor testing, and predictive maintenance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    19. Fernández-Solas, Álvaro & Micheli, Leonardo & Almonacid, Florencia & Fernández, Eduardo F., 2021. "Optical degradation impact on the spectral performance of photovoltaic technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    20. Liu, Weidong & Jiang, Xiaohua & Li, Shaoshuai & Luo, Ji & Wen, Gen, 2020. "Photovoltaic module regional clustering in mainland China and application based on factors influencing field reliability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    21. Trigo-González, Mauricio & Cortés-Carmona, Marcelo & Marzo, Aitor & Alonso-Montesinos, Joaquín & Martínez-Durbán, Mercedes & López, Gabriel & Portillo, Carlos & Batlles, Francisco Javier, 2023. "Photovoltaic power electricity generation nowcasting combining sky camera images and learning supervised algorithms in the Southern Spain," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 251-262.
    22. Gabriella-Stefánia Szabó & Róbert Szabó & Loránd Szabó, 2022. "A Review of the Mitigating Methods against the Energy Conversion Decrease in Solar Panels," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-21, September.
    23. Bouaichi, Abdellatif & El Amrani, Aumeur & Ouhadou, Malika & Lfakir, Aberrazak & Messaoudi, Choukri, 2020. "In-situ performance and degradation of three different photovoltaic module technologies installed in arid climate of Morocco," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).

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