Degradation of electrical performance of a crystalline photovoltaic module due to dust deposition in northern Poland

The reduction in power output caused by the accumulation of dust on the photovoltaic module surface is an important problem and should receive much more attention in the literature. This study was an evaluation of the performance degradation of crystalline photovoltaic modules due to natural and simulated dust deposition. Dust is created from powdered grains of sand and particles of different bodies. Dust originates from different sources, e.g. from the soil and volcanic eruptions. Dust in the air is an aerosol, and in high concentrations can cause climate change. Deposition of airborne dust on photovoltaic modules may decrease the transmittance of solar cell glazing and cause a significant degradation in the solar conversion efficiency of photovoltaic modules. Dust deposition is closely related to the tilt angle of the module, the exposure period, site climate conditions, wind movement and dust properties. In this article, a brief review of the energy yield losses caused by dust deposition on photovoltaic modules and the results of experimental research conducted in Poland are presented. Dust samples were collected after a few years of natural and artificial dust deposition. The reduction in efficiency had a linear relationship with the dust deposition density. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.