The Effect of Cooling on the Performance of Photovoltaic Cells under Dusty Environmental Conditions

Solar photovoltaic technology is a major form of renewable energy and is gaining worldwide interest due to rising energy demands and concerns of environmental effects. Kuwait is located on latitude of 29.22(0)N and enjoys high solar radiation in most parts of the year (7.65 kWh/m(2).day). However, Kuwait suffers from dust and sand storms due to its very little vegetation, dryness, weightless-textured surface soil and frequent unstable strong air currents. This work investigates the performance of solar PV panel based on HIT silicon cells under Kuwait environment and assesses the effect of cooling in reducing the impact of dust on the PV power output. Measurements showed that dust reduces the power output by 16% at midday. This effect can be partially compensated through cooling the PV panel. (c) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.