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Investigation of soiling effects, dust chemistry and optimum cleaning schedule for PV modules in Lahore, Pakistan

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  • Ullah, Asad
  • Amin, Amir
  • Haider, Turab
  • Saleem, Murtaza
  • Butt, Nauman Zafar

Abstract

We investigate the photovoltaic (PV) power losses due to soiling for Lahore, Pakistan for solar panels. Optimized cleaning schedules are proposed incorporating the effect of solar panels’ tilt angle and the method (manual vs. automatic) for cleaning. Output power losses and dust accumulation on solar panels were measured at variable tilt angles for a period of 120 days at an open roof top location in Lahore. The relative soiling losses for monofacial vs. bifacial (constructed by stacking two back to back monofacial) solar panels were compared for two different panel orientations, i.e., south faced tilted panels vs. East/West faced vertical panels. We found that the soiling rate for Lahore was consistently around 0.8% per day for 30° tilted panel (for the measurement period between October to January), which is among one of the highest soiling rates reported for various urban locations across South Asian and Gulf regions. A dust accumulation rate of 0.01−0.02mg/cm2 per day was recorded for panels that were fixed at 30° tilt. The variation for soiling/dust deposition rates was found to be negligible for different dry periods spanning between October and January. The chemistry and composition of the dust were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and, electron dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Large contents of carbon and quartz were found in the dust collected from the samples through EDX and XRD analysis. High carbon contents in the accumulated dust are attributed to air pollutants and could be a contributing factor for the high soiling rate. For manual cleaning, the optimal cleaning schedule was calculated to be about once per week for panels at 30° tilt, and, once every three weeks for panels at 90° tilt.

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  • Ullah, Asad & Amin, Amir & Haider, Turab & Saleem, Murtaza & Butt, Nauman Zafar, 2020. "Investigation of soiling effects, dust chemistry and optimum cleaning schedule for PV modules in Lahore, Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 456-468.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:150:y:2020:i:c:p:456-468
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2019.12.090
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    1. Conceição, Ricardo & González-Aguilar, José & Merrouni, Ahmed Alami & Romero, Manuel, 2022. "Soiling effect in solar energy conversion systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    2. Yao, Wanxiang & Kong, Xiangru & Xu, Ai & Xu, Puyan & Wang, Yan & Gao, Weijun, 2023. "New models for the influence of rainwater on the performance of photovoltaic modules under different rainfall conditions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
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    4. Hassan Z. Al Garni, 2022. "The Impact of Soiling on PV Module Performance in Saudi Arabia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-25, October.
    5. Mithhu, Md. Mahamudul Hasan & Rima, Tahmina Ahmed & Khan, M. Ryyan, 2021. "Global analysis of optimal cleaning cycle and profit of soiling affected solar panels," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    6. Micheli, Leonardo & Theristis, Marios & Talavera, Diego L. & Almonacid, Florencia & Stein, Joshua S. & Fernandez, Eduardo F., 2020. "Photovoltaic Cleaning Frequency Optimization Under Different Degradation Rate Patterns," MPRA Paper 105008, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 07 Oct 2020.
    7. Micheli, Leonardo & Theristis, Marios & Talavera, Diego L. & Nofuentes, Gustavo & Stein, Joshua S. & Almonacid, Florencia & Fernández, Eduardo F., 2022. "The economic value of photovoltaic performance loss mitigation in electricity spot markets," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 486-497.
    8. Micheli, Leonardo & Theristis, Marios & Talavera, Diego L. & Almonacid, Florencia & Stein, Joshua S. & Fernández, Eduardo F., 2020. "Photovoltaic cleaning frequency optimization under different degradation rate patterns," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 136-146.
    9. Chiteka, Kudzanayi & Arora, Rajesh & Sridhara, S.N. & Enweremadu, C.C., 2021. "Optimizing wind barrier and photovoltaic array configuration in soiling mitigation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 225-236.
    10. Wu, Yubo & Du, Jianqiang & Liu, Guangxin & Ma, Danzhu & Jia, Fengrui & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír & Wang, Jin, 2022. "A review of self-cleaning technology to reduce dust and ice accumulation in photovoltaic power generation using superhydrophobic coating," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 1034-1061.
    11. Adar, Mustapha & Najih, Youssef & Gouskir, Mohamed & Chebak, Ahmed & Mabrouki, Mustapha & Bennouna, Amin, 2020. "Three PV plants performance analysis using the principal component analysis method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    12. Raillani, Benyounes & Salhi, Mourad & Chaatouf, Dounia & Amraqui, Samir & Mezrhab, Ahmed, 2022. "Optimization of a porous wind barrier to reduce soiling and avoid shading losses of photovoltaic panels," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 510-523.
    13. Miqdam T. Chaichan & Hussein A. Kazem & Ali H. A. Al-Waeli & Kamaruzzaman Sopian & Mohammed A. Fayad & Wissam H. Alawee & Hayder A. Dhahad & Wan Nor Roslam Wan Isahak & Ahmed A. Al-Amiery, 2023. "Sand and Dust Storms’ Impact on the Efficiency of the Photovoltaic Modules Installed in Baghdad: A Review Study with an Empirical Investigation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-25, May.
    14. Dhaouadi, Rached & Al-Othman, Amani & Aidan, Ahmed A. & Tawalbeh, Muhammad & Zannerni, Rawan, 2021. "A characterization study for the properties of dust particles collected on photovoltaic (PV) panels in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 133-140.
    15. Adnan Aslam & Naseer Ahmed & Safian Ahmed Qureshi & Mohsen Assadi & Naveed Ahmed, 2022. "Advances in Solar PV Systems; A Comprehensive Review of PV Performance, Influencing Factors, and Mitigation Techniques," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-52, October.
    16. Aritra Ghosh, 2020. "Soiling Losses: A Barrier for India’s Energy Security Dependency from Photovoltaic Power," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-22, May.
    17. Song, Zhe & Liu, Jia & Yang, Hongxing, 2021. "Air pollution and soiling implications for solar photovoltaic power generation: A comprehensive review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).

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