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Photovoltaic Cleaning Optimization: A Simplified Theoretical Approach for Air to Water Generator (AWG) System Employment

Author

Listed:
  • Lucia Cattani

    (SEAS SA, Société de l’Eau Aérienne Suisse, Technical Office, Via dell’Industria 13/A, 6826 Riva San Vitale, Switzerland)

  • Paolo Cattani

    (Freelancer Engineer and Developer, Via Piermarini 4/L, 26900 Lodi, Italy)

  • Anna Magrini

    (Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

Abstract

Photovoltaic panel efficiency can be heavily affected by soiling, due to dust and other airborne particles, which can determine up to 50% of energy production loss. Generally, it is possible to reduce that impact by means of periodic cleaning, and one of the most efficient cleaning solutions is the use of demineralized water. As pauperization of traditional water sources is increasing, new technologies have been developed to obtain the needed water amount. Water extracted from the air using air to water generator (AWG) technology appears to be particularly suitable for panel cleaning, but its effective employment presents issues related to model selection, determining system size, and energy efficiency. To overcome such issues, the authors proposed a method to choose an AWG system for panel cleaning and to determine its size accordingly, based on a cleaning time optimization procedure and tailored to AWG peculiarities, with an aim to maximize energy production. In order to determine the energy loss due to soiling, a simplified semiempirical model (i.e., the DIrt method) was developed as well. The methodology, which also allows for energy saving due to an optimal cleaning frequency, was applied to a case study. The results show that the choice of the most suitable AWG model could prevent 83% of energy loss related to soling. These methods are the first example of a design tool for panel cleaning planning involving AWG technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucia Cattani & Paolo Cattani & Anna Magrini, 2021. "Photovoltaic Cleaning Optimization: A Simplified Theoretical Approach for Air to Water Generator (AWG) System Employment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-17, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:14:p:4271-:d:594489
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lucia Cattani & Anna Magrini & Valentina Leoni, 2022. "Energy Performance of Water Generators from Gaseous Mixtures by Condensation: Climatic Datasets Choice," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-24, October.
    2. Lucia Cattani & Paolo Cattani & Anna Magrini & Roberto Figoni & Daniele Dondi & Dhanalakshmi Vadivel, 2023. "Suitability and Energy Sustainability of Atmospheric Water Generation Technology for Green Hydrogen Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-20, September.

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