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Economics of seasonal photovoltaic soiling and cleaning optimization scenarios

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  • Micheli, Leonardo
  • Fernández, Eduardo F.
  • Aguilera, Jorge T.
  • Almonacid, Florencia

Abstract

The present study analyzes the soiling losses of a 1 MW photovoltaic system installed in the South of Spain. Both the Levelized Cost of Energy and the Net Present Value are used to compare the convenience of different mitigation strategies. It is found that also photovoltaic installations located in moderate regions, where the yearly soiling losses are limited to 3%, can suffer of a severe seasonal soiling, with power drops higher than 20%. In these conditions, an optimized cleaning schedule can be considerably beneficial from an economic perspective. For the given site, an optimal cleaning schedule generates a raise in profits up to 3.6% if one yearly cleaning is performed within a ±31-day window in summer. The convenience of one and multiple cleaning strategies is investigated by considering variable electricity prices and cleaning costs. In addition, the impact of the module efficiency on the cleaning strategy is analyzed. It is found that an optimized cleaning schedule can enhance the benefits of installing high efficiency modules, as it increases the amount of energy recovered through each cleaning and, therefore, the profits.

Suggested Citation

  • Micheli, Leonardo & Fernández, Eduardo F. & Aguilera, Jorge T. & Almonacid, Florencia, 2021. "Economics of seasonal photovoltaic soiling and cleaning optimization scenarios," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(PA).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:215:y:2021:i:pa:s0360544220321253
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2020.119018
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    Cited by:

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    3. Micheli, Leonardo & Theristis, Marios & Talavera, Diego L. & Almonacid, Florencia & Stein, Joshua S. & Fernández, Eduardo F., 2020. "Photovoltaic cleaning frequency optimization under different degradation rate patterns," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 136-146.
    4. Hasan Masrur & Keifa Vamba Konneh & Mikaeel Ahmadi & Kaisar R. Khan & Mohammad Lutfi Othman & Tomonobu Senjyu, 2021. "Assessing the Techno-Economic Impact of Derating Factors on Optimally Tilted Grid-Tied Photovoltaic Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-21, February.
    5. Zbigniew Brodziński & Katarzyna Brodzińska & Mikołaj Szadziun, 2021. "Photovoltaic Farms—Economic Efficiency of Investments in North-East Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    6. Isaacs, Stewart & Kalashnikova, Olga & Garay, Michael J. & van Donkelaar, Aaron & Hammer, Melanie S. & Lee, Huikyo & Wood, Danielle, 2023. "Dust soiling effects on decentralized solar in West Africa," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    7. Rahbar, Kiyarash & Eslami, Shahab & Pouladian-Kari, Ramin & Kirchner, Lars, 2022. "3-D numerical simulation and experimental study of PV module self-cleaning based on dew formation and single axis tracking," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    8. Abdulla, Hind & Sleptchenko, Andrei & Nayfeh, Ammar, 2024. "Photovoltaic systems operation and maintenance: A review and future directions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    9. Micheli, Leonardo & Theristis, Marios & Talavera, Diego L. & Nofuentes, Gustavo & Stein, Joshua S. & Almonacid, Florencia & Fernández, Eduardo F., 2022. "The economic value of photovoltaic performance loss mitigation in electricity spot markets," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 486-497.

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