IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v163y2021icp225-236.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimizing wind barrier and photovoltaic array configuration in soiling mitigation

Author

Listed:
  • Chiteka, Kudzanayi
  • Arora, Rajesh
  • Sridhara, S.N.
  • Enweremadu, C.C.

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of wind barriers and installation configuration on soiling of photovoltaic arrays. Soiling parameters including wind speed, tilt angles and dust particle sizes were investigated. Computational fluid dynamics was used to simulate airflow characteristics leading to the estimation of soiling on the photovoltaic array. The shading effects caused by the deposited dust particles, and the barrier height and position were also investigated. It was found that increasing the barrier height reduces soiling, but it also caused partial shading of the photovoltaic array, thus causing more reduction in the irradiance received. Increasing the barrier distance increased the amount of deposited particles on the collectors due to turbulent eddies forming behind the barrier. It was concluded that the use of barriers is an effective way of mitigating dust deposition and up to 25% of the total released dust particles were trapped by the barrier situated at 3 m from the solar collectors. Optimization to maximize the energy generated revealed a 2.81% increase in energy compared to an installation without a barrier. The best configuration of the solar collectors and the barrier was 0.932 m for barrier height, 3.9 m for barrier distance and a tilt of 21.11°.

Suggested Citation

  • Chiteka, Kudzanayi & Arora, Rajesh & Sridhara, S.N. & Enweremadu, C.C., 2021. "Optimizing wind barrier and photovoltaic array configuration in soiling mitigation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 225-236.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:163:y:2021:i:c:p:225-236
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2020.08.155
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148120314002
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2020.08.155?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hammad, Bashar & Al–Abed, Mohammad & Al–Ghandoor, Ahmed & Al–Sardeah, Ali & Al–Bashir, Adnan, 2018. "Modeling and analysis of dust and temperature effects on photovoltaic systems’ performance and optimal cleaning frequency: Jordan case study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2218-2234.
    2. Ullah, Asad & Imran, Hassan & Maqsood, Zaki & Butt, Nauman Zafar, 2019. "Investigation of optimal tilt angles and effects of soiling on PV energy production in Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 830-843.
    3. Mohammed Al-Housani & Yusuf Bicer & Muammer Koç, 2019. "Assessment of Various Dry Photovoltaic Cleaning Techniques and Frequencies on the Power Output of CdTe-Type Modules in Dusty Environments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-18, May.
    4. Sarver, Travis & Al-Qaraghuli, Ali & Kazmerski, Lawrence L., 2013. "A comprehensive review of the impact of dust on the use of solar energy: History, investigations, results, literature, and mitigation approaches," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 698-733.
    5. Hegazy, Adel A, 2001. "Effect of dust accumulation on solar transmittance through glass covers of plate-type collectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 525-540.
    6. Conceição, Ricardo & Vázquez, Iñigo & Fialho, Luis & García, Daniel, 2020. "Soiling and rainfall effect on PV technology in rural Southern Europe," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 743-747.
    7. Adinoyi, Muhammed J. & Said, Syed A.M., 2013. "Effect of dust accumulation on the power outputs of solar photovoltaic modules," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 633-636.
    8. Conceição, Ricardo & Silva, Hugo G. & Fialho, Luis & Lopes, Francis M. & Collares-Pereira, Manuel, 2019. "PV system design with the effect of soiling on the optimum tilt angle," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 787-796.
    9. Hartner, Michael & Ortner, André & Hiesl, Albert & Haas, Reinhard, 2015. "East to west – The optimal tilt angle and orientation of photovoltaic panels from an electricity system perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 94-107.
    10. Moghimi, M.A. & Ahmadi, G., 2018. "Wind barriers optimization for minimizing collector mirror soiling in a parabolic trough collector plant," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 413-423.
    11. Mungwena, Wilson, 2002. "The distribution and potential utilizablity of Zimbabwe's wind energy resource," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 363-377.
    12. Conceição, Ricardo & Lopes, Francis M. & Tavares, Ailton & Lopes, Daniel, 2020. "Soiling effect in second-surface CSP mirror and improved cleaning strategies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 103-113.
    13. Ullah, Asad & Amin, Amir & Haider, Turab & Saleem, Murtaza & Butt, Nauman Zafar, 2020. "Investigation of soiling effects, dust chemistry and optimum cleaning schedule for PV modules in Lahore, Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 456-468.
    14. Abiola-Ogedengbe, Ayodeji & Hangan, Horia & Siddiqui, Kamran, 2015. "Experimental investigation of wind effects on a standalone photovoltaic (PV) module," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 657-665.
    15. Maghami, Mohammad Reza & Hizam, Hashim & Gomes, Chandima & Radzi, Mohd Amran & Rezadad, Mohammad Ismael & Hajighorbani, Shahrooz, 2016. "Power loss due to soiling on solar panel: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1307-1316.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sharmarke Hassan & Mahmoud Dhimish, 2022. "Review of Current State-of-the-Art Research on Photovoltaic Soiling, Anti-Reflective Coating, and Solar Roads Deployment Supported by a Pilot Experiment on a PV Road," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-24, December.
    2. Micheli, Leonardo & Muller, Matthew & Theristis, Marios & Smestad, Greg P. & Almonacid, Florencia & Fernández, Eduardo F., 2024. "Quantifying the impact of inverter clipping on photovoltaic performance and soiling losses," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Conceição, Ricardo & González-Aguilar, José & Merrouni, Ahmed Alami & Romero, Manuel, 2022. "Soiling effect in solar energy conversion systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    2. Alkharusi, Tarik & Huang, Gan & Markides, Christos N., 2024. "Characterisation of soiling on glass surfaces and their impact on optical and solar photovoltaic performance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    3. Aritra Ghosh, 2020. "Soiling Losses: A Barrier for India’s Energy Security Dependency from Photovoltaic Power," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-22, May.
    4. Ullah, Asad & Amin, Amir & Haider, Turab & Saleem, Murtaza & Butt, Nauman Zafar, 2020. "Investigation of soiling effects, dust chemistry and optimum cleaning schedule for PV modules in Lahore, Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 456-468.
    5. Song, Zhe & Liu, Jia & Yang, Hongxing, 2021. "Air pollution and soiling implications for solar photovoltaic power generation: A comprehensive review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    6. Adak, Deepanjana & Bhattacharyya, Raghunath & Barshilia, Harish C., 2022. "A state-of-the-art review on the multifunctional self-cleaning nanostructured coatings for PV panels, CSP mirrors and related solar devices," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    7. Chanchangi, Yusuf N. & Ghosh, Aritra & Sundaram, Senthilarasu & Mallick, Tapas K., 2020. "Dust and PV Performance in Nigeria: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    8. Gowtham Vedulla & Anbazhagan Geetha & Ramalingam Senthil, 2022. "Review of Strategies to Mitigate Dust Deposition on Solar Photovoltaic Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-28, December.
    9. Hammad, Bashar & Al–Abed, Mohammad & Al–Ghandoor, Ahmed & Al–Sardeah, Ali & Al–Bashir, Adnan, 2018. "Modeling and analysis of dust and temperature effects on photovoltaic systems’ performance and optimal cleaning frequency: Jordan case study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2218-2234.
    10. Ali Hasan Shah & Ahmed Hassan & Mohammad Shakeel Laghari & Abdulrahman Alraeesi, 2020. "The Influence of Cleaning Frequency of Photovoltaic Modules on Power Losses in the Desert Climate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-15, November.
    11. Enaganti, Prasanth K. & Bhattacharjee, Ankur & Ghosh, Aritra & Chanchangi, Yusuf N. & Chakraborty, Chanchal & Mallick, Tapas K. & Goel, Sanket, 2022. "Experimental investigations for dust build-up on low-iron glass exterior and its effects on the performance of solar PV systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PC).
    12. Chiteka, Kudzanayi & Arora, Rajesh & Sridhara, S.N. & Enweremadu, C.C., 2021. "Influence of irradiance incidence angle and installation configuration on the deposition of dust and dust-shading of a photovoltaic array," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    13. Erdenedavaa, Purevdalai & Akisawa, Atsushi & Adiyabat, Amarbayar & Otgonjanchiv, Erdenesuvd, 2019. "Observation and modeling of dust deposition on glass tube of evacuated solar thermal collectors in Mongolia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 613-621.
    14. Umar, Shayan & Waqas, Adeel & Tanveer, Waqas & Shahzad, Nadia & Janjua, Abdul Kashif & Dehghan, Maziar & Qureshi, Muhammad Salik & Shakir, Sehar, 2023. "A building integrated solar PV surface-cleaning setup to optimize the electricity output of PV modules in a polluted atmosphere," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    15. Sun, Ke & Lu, Lin & Jiang, Yu & Wang, Yuanhao & Zhou, Kun & He, Zhu, 2018. "Integrated effects of PM2.5 deposition, module surface conditions and nanocoatings on solar PV surface glass transmittance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 4107-4120.
    16. Sánchez-Barroso, Gonzalo & González-Domínguez, Jaime & García-Sanz-Calcedo, Justo & Sanz, Joaquín García, 2021. "Markov chains estimation of the optimal periodicity for cleaning photovoltaic panels installed in the dehesa," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 537-549.
    17. 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.
    18. 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).
    19. Pankaj Borah & Leonardo Micheli & Nabin Sarmah, 2023. "Analysis of Soiling Loss in Photovoltaic Modules: A Review of the Impact of Atmospheric Parameters, Soil Properties, and Mitigation Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-26, December.
    20. Alshawaf, Mohammad & Poudineh, Rahmatallah & Alhajeri, Nawaf S., 2020. "Solar PV in Kuwait: The effect of ambient temperature and sandstorms on output variability and uncertainty," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:163:y:2021:i:c:p:225-236. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.