Dust On Solar Panels

If a dust storm has covered your panels in dirt or pelicans have had a poop party on your roof then it s a pretty good idea.

Dust on solar panels.

Dust adhesion on solar panels is a major challenge to energy harvesting through photovoltaic cells and solar thermal collectors. Solar irradiation how much the sun did shine without clouds or stuff in the way was pretty much spot on but it was hotter on day two 33degc vs 28degc with a little bit less wind to help cool the panels. But most of the time solar panel cleaning is not worth it. New solutions are necessary to maintain maximum collection.

For instance dirt is worse in desert areas like the american southwest where the air is dry and dusty. Now before you decide that you should go through dust on your panels i need to mention a couple of details. Your solar panels need to be exposed to sunlight in order to produce power. Solar panels take in sunlight and material on the panels surface converts sunlight to electrons which become electricity greg explains.

According to experts environmental pollution could reduce the amount of light that gets absorbed by your solar panels even if the system is relatively new. And that s just when they re dirty. Flat tilt array designs also trap more dust. On average when your solar panels get dirty expect a 5 or less change in output.

Research demonstrated a decrease in energy collected and produced when panels were blocked by dirt dust and debris as much as 25 difference in some cases. Anything that blocks out the sun will reduce the amount of energy your panels produce bushfire smoke and dust storms can cause elevated particle levels in the atmosphere. Dust is generated from many sources such as pollution by wind pedestrian volcanic eruptions and vehicular movements among many others. A new whitepaperby solar measurement company kipp zonen explores the issue of dirty panels in terms of economic geographic and technical factors.

In most climates if there is dust or debris on the panels and their energy output is registered 5 less than other times the next rain will wash away the debris and the solar panels will return to their optimal efficiency. Meanwhile air pollution is also a culprit. The technology involves placing a transparent electrically sensitive material.