An investigation of the dust accumulation on photovoltaic panels

The particle deposition on the surface of solar photovoltaic panels deteriorates its performance as it obstructs the solar radiation reaching the solar cells. In addition to that, it may cause overheating of the panels, which further decreases the performance of the system. The dust deposition on the surfaces is a complex phenomenon which depends on a large number of different environmental and technical factors, such as location, weather parameters, pollution, tilt angle and surface roughness. Hence, it becomes crucial to investigate the key parameters which influence dust accumulation and their interrelations. In this study, the phenomenon of dust deposition was studied experimentally in the urban area at one of the most polluted cities of Europe, i.e. Kraków, Poland. Solar photovoltaic panels tilted at angles 15° and 35° were exposed to atmospheric conditions for the period of eighteen months from 6 May 2017 until 30 November 2018. Dust samples were collected from the panels for the exposure period which ranged from one day up to 11 days. It was observed that lower tilt angles promote dust accumulation on the surface and that in the absence of wind and rain, deposition of particles on the surface of panels follows the pattern of concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 in the atmosphere. Wind and rainfall usually promote the removal of dust particles from the surface. However, rainfall not always aids the cleaning of panels, and it was observed that low-intensity rain results in a very low rate of PMs in the air and in much higher than typical dust deposition on the panel surface. It also accelerates the cementing of already deposited dust. It was only rainfall whose intensity was at least 38 mm/h that was sufficient to remove dust particles from the panels.