4.7 Article

Characterization of dust particles in South India and investigation on soiling image analysis for photovoltaic application

Journal

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
Volume 30, Issue 34, Pages 81635-81646

Publisher

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22630-8

Keywords

Solar energy; Soiling; PV modules; Shape factor; Particle size; Chemical composition; Image analysis

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The present study characterizes dust particles in South India through image analysis, focusing on factors influencing the accuracy of the analysis. Results show that the shape and size of dust particles vary with the tilt angle of the samples. Moreover, using three images produces more precise and representative results.
The present work aims at the characterization of the dust particles in South India through an image analysis of glass samples inclined at a tilt of 0 degrees and 13 degrees for four different exposure periods (approximately 30 to 40 days/exposure period). It aims as well at the study of the different factors influencing the accuracy of the image analysis of dust particles. The analysis of the shape factor reveals that the dust particles on tilted surface (13 degrees) have regular shapes, and irregular shapes are more observed in horizontal surfaces. The size analysis of the dust particles with magnification of 20 x has revealed that the size distribution is in the range of 0-4 mu m but more concentrated in the range of 0-1 mu m. However, with 10 x magnification, larger particles are more detected. Furthermore, average results from three sample images seem to be more precise and representative than results from two images. The fractional coverage area of the dust particles on the sample has been calculated and compared with the transmittance losses. These two variables are found to be proportional with an R-2 of 53%. Nevertheless, the comparison showed again that three images give better results with an R-2 of 75% against 11% for two images. The results obtained in this study are very useful for the development of high precision soiling sensors that are based on image analysis and outdoor soiling microscopes, which are the main components for an efficient and economic cleaning of solar PV modules.

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