Azeem Ahsan, Abbas Muhammad Farasat, Ahmed Naveed, Kazmi Syed Ali Abbas, Alharbi Talal, Alharbi Abdulelah, Ghoneim Sherif S M
US Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCASE), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), H-12 Sector, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan.
Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Qassim University, Buraydah, 52571, Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Heliyon. 2024 Aug 23;10(17):e36796. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36796. eCollection 2024 Sep 15.
The performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules is greatly impacted by dust accumulation and defects appearing in photovoltaic (PV) modules. Existing studies primarily focus on the effect of dust on general photovoltaic performance, neglecting the interactions with pre-existing defects such as snail trails. These defects are known to degrade the efficiency of PV modules. However, their interaction with environmental factors like dust accumulation has not been extensively analyzed. This research comprehensively analyzes the impact of dust accumulation on the performance of PV modules affected by snail trails. Using an experimental setup under outdoor conditions, the study incorporates thermal imaging, current-voltage characteristic curve tracing (IV curve tracing), electroluminescence (EL) imaging, and chemical analysis of the accumulated dust, to evaluate the electrical and thermal parameters affecting PV module performance. The study focuses on three types of modules, clean serves as a reference module (PV-R), normal unclean (PV-N), and snail trail-affected unclean PV module (PV-S). Compared to the PV-R module, the study meticulously quantifies the effect of accumulated dust on key performance indicators such as output power, V, and I. The PV-N module exhibits reductions of 17.7 % in current, 3.91 % in voltage, and 18.15 % in power output. The PV-S module experienced a decrease of 7.4 % in current, 7.55 % in voltage, and 14.87 % in power output under the dust deposition density of 6.984 g/m^2 having a mean particle size of 2.2279 μm. The dust deposition reduced the transmittance of glass, which indicates a potentially adverse impact on the PV module's efficiency. The findings highlighted in the current work provide a significant understanding of the detrimental impacts of dust accumulation on defected photo voltaic modules, highlighting the need for regular maintenance and cleaning to ensure optimal performance.
光伏（PV）组件的性能会受到灰尘堆积以及光伏组件中出现的缺陷的极大影响。现有研究主要关注灰尘对一般光伏性能的影响，而忽略了与诸如蜗牛纹等预先存在的缺陷之间的相互作用。已知这些缺陷会降低光伏组件的效率。然而，它们与灰尘堆积等环境因素之间的相互作用尚未得到广泛分析。本研究全面分析了灰尘堆积对受蜗牛纹影响的光伏组件性能的影响。该研究利用户外条件下的实验装置，结合热成像、电流 - 电压特性曲线追踪（IV曲线追踪）、电致发光（EL）成像以及对堆积灰尘的化学分析，来评估影响光伏组件性能的电气和热参数。该研究聚焦于三种类型的组件，清洁的作为参考组件（PV - R）、正常不清洁的（PV - N）以及受蜗牛纹影响的不清洁光伏组件（PV - S）。与PV - R组件相比，该研究细致地量化了堆积灰尘对关键性能指标（如输出功率、电压V和电流I）的影响。PV - N组件的电流降低了17.7%，电压降低了3.91%，功率输出降低了18.15%。在灰尘沉积密度为6.984 g/m²且平均粒径为2.2279μm的情况下，PV - S组件的电流下降了7.4%，电压下降了7.55%，功率输出下降了14.87%。灰尘沉积降低了玻璃的透光率，这表明对光伏组件的效率可能产生不利影响。当前工作中突出的研究结果为理解灰尘堆积对有缺陷的光伏组件的有害影响提供了重要依据，强调了定期维护和清洁以确保最佳性能的必要性。
