Experimental investigations for dust build-up on low-iron glass exterior and its effects on the performance of solar PV systems

The performance of solar photovoltaic (SPV) power plants is adversely affected by soiling losses caused by natural dust deposition on the module surface. The size and density of dust particles vary depending on the location. Thus, it is essential to investigate the impact of dust collection on SPV module performance. This work investigates the effect of dust build-up on the low-iron glass surface and the performance of SPV modules. To analyze the characteristics of these dust particles, low-iron glass samples have been chosen, which resemble a front glass surface of the SPV module. To study the holistic pattern of the natural dust accumulation of a particular area, low-iron glass samples have been placed with three different positions like vertical, horizontal, and local tilt angle for Building Integrated Photovoltaic Systems (BIPV) and rooftop PV power plant applications. The mineralogical study of dust particles provides insight in determining the transmittance loss from the glass surface of solar PV modules due to the local soiling loss. Furthermore, the electrical power output of the SPV modules has been monitored at various levels of dust accumulation. Moreover, these findings indicate that natural dust deposition at selected site locations significantly reduces energy generation from PV modules.