Photovoltaic Array Cleaning System Design and Evaluation
Dust accumulation on the photovoltaic module's surface results in appreciable loss and negatively affects the generated power. Hence, in this paper, the design of a photovoltaic array cleaning system is presented. The cleaning system utilizes one drive motor, two guide rails, and four sweepers during the cleaning process. The cleaning system was experimentally implemented for one month to investigate its efficiency on PV array energy output. The energy capture over a month for PV array cleaned using the proposed cleaning system is compared with that of the energy capture using soiled PV array. The results show a 15% increase in energy generation from PV array with cleaning. From the results, investigating the optimal scheduling of the PV array cleaning could be an interesting research topic.
[1] M. Al-Housani, Y. Bicer, and M. Koç, “Experimental investigations on PV cleaning of large-scale solar power plants in desert climates: Comparison of cleaning techniques for drone retrofitting,” Energy Convers. Manag., vol. 185, pp. 800–815, Apr. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2019.01.058.
[2] D. Deb and N. L. Brahmbhatt, “Review of yield increase of solar panels through soiling prevention, and a proposed water-free automated cleaning solution,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 82, pp. 3306–3313, Feb. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2017.10.014.
[3] B. Parrott, P. Carrasco Zanini, A. Shehri, K. Kotsovos, and I. Gereige, “Automated, robotic dry-cleaning of solar panels in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia using a silicone rubber brush,” Sol. Energy, vol. 171, pp. 526–533, Sep. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2018.06.104.
[4] Alghamdi, Bahaj, Blunden, and Wu, “Dust Removal from Solar PV Modules by Automated Cleaning Systems,” Energies, vol. 12, no. 15, p. 2923, Jul. 2019, doi: 10.3390/en12152923.
[5] S. A. Kalogirou, R. Agathokleous, and G. Panayiotou, “On-site PV characterization and the effect of soiling on their performance,” Energy, vol. 51, pp. 439–446, Mar. 2013, doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2012.12.018.
[6] “POWER Data Access Viewer.” https://power.larc.nasa.gov/data-access-viewer/ (accessed Mar. 08, 2021).
[7] “Japan Meteorological Agency.” https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html (accessed Mar. 11, 2021).
[8] A. Radwan, S. Ookawara, S. Mori, and M. Ahmed, “Uniform cooling for concentrator photovoltaic cells and electronic chips by forced convective boiling in 3D-printed monolithic double-layer microchannel heat sink,” Energy Convers. Manag., vol. 166, pp. 356–371, Jun. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2018.04.037.
[9] M. Z. Saleheen, A. A. Salema, S. M. Mominul Islam, C. R. Sarimuthu, and M. Z. Hasan, “A target-oriented performance assessment and model development of a grid-connected solar PV (GCPV) system for a commercial building in Malaysia,” Renew. Energy, vol. 171, pp. 371–382, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2021.02.108.
[10] S. Bahreini, M. Yaghoubi, and M. Aghaei, “Effect of Dust on Solar Photovoltaic Modules in Shiraz,” p. 5.
[11] A. Dobos, “PVWatts Version 5 Manual,” NREL/TP-6A20-62641, 1158421, Sep. 2014. doi: 10.2172/1158421.
[1] M. Al-Housani, Y. Bicer, and M. Koç, “Experimental investigations on PV cleaning of large-scale solar power plants in desert climates: Comparison of cleaning techniques for drone retrofitting,” Energy Convers. Manag., vol. 185, pp. 800–815, Apr. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2019.01.058.
[2] D. Deb and N. L. Brahmbhatt, “Review of yield increase of solar panels through soiling prevention, and a proposed water-free automated cleaning solution,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 82, pp. 3306–3313, Feb. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2017.10.014.
[3] B. Parrott, P. Carrasco Zanini, A. Shehri, K. Kotsovos, and I. Gereige, “Automated, robotic dry-cleaning of solar panels in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia using a silicone rubber brush,” Sol. Energy, vol. 171, pp. 526–533, Sep. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2018.06.104.
[4] Alghamdi, Bahaj, Blunden, and Wu, “Dust Removal from Solar PV Modules by Automated Cleaning Systems,” Energies, vol. 12, no. 15, p. 2923, Jul. 2019, doi: 10.3390/en12152923.
[5] S. A. Kalogirou, R. Agathokleous, and G. Panayiotou, “On-site PV characterization and the effect of soiling on their performance,” Energy, vol. 51, pp. 439–446, Mar. 2013, doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2012.12.018.
[6] “POWER Data Access Viewer.” https://power.larc.nasa.gov/data-access-viewer/ (accessed Mar. 08, 2021).
[7] “Japan Meteorological Agency.” https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html (accessed Mar. 11, 2021).
[8] A. Radwan, S. Ookawara, S. Mori, and M. Ahmed, “Uniform cooling for concentrator photovoltaic cells and electronic chips by forced convective boiling in 3D-printed monolithic double-layer microchannel heat sink,” Energy Convers. Manag., vol. 166, pp. 356–371, Jun. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2018.04.037.
[9] M. Z. Saleheen, A. A. Salema, S. M. Mominul Islam, C. R. Sarimuthu, and M. Z. Hasan, “A target-oriented performance assessment and model development of a grid-connected solar PV (GCPV) system for a commercial building in Malaysia,” Renew. Energy, vol. 171, pp. 371–382, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2021.02.108.
[10] S. Bahreini, M. Yaghoubi, and M. Aghaei, “Effect of Dust on Solar Photovoltaic Modules in Shiraz,” p. 5.
[11] A. Dobos, “PVWatts Version 5 Manual,” NREL/TP-6A20-62641, 1158421, Sep. 2014. doi: 10.2172/1158421.
@article{"International Journal of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Sciences:80361", author = "Ghoname Abdullah and Hidekazu Nishimura", title = "Photovoltaic Array Cleaning System Design and Evaluation", abstract = "Dust accumulation on the photovoltaic module's surface results in appreciable loss and negatively affects the generated power. Hence, in this paper, the design of a photovoltaic array cleaning system is presented. The cleaning system utilizes one drive motor, two guide rails, and four sweepers during the cleaning process. The cleaning system was experimentally implemented for one month to investigate its efficiency on PV array energy output. The energy capture over a month for PV array cleaned using the proposed cleaning system is compared with that of the energy capture using soiled PV array. The results show a 15% increase in energy generation from PV array with cleaning. From the results, investigating the optimal scheduling of the PV array cleaning could be an interesting research topic.
", keywords = "Cleaning system, dust accumulation, PV array, PV module, soiling.", volume = "15", number = "6", pages = "179-4", }
