Investigation of the pollution effect on reducing energy production in solar panels and self-cleaning with hydrophilic nano-coatings without using water

Abstract

There is a growing interest in solar electricity generation in many countries worldwide. This current trend is the installation of photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roofs of independent units rather than solar power plants. However, the conversion efficiency of PV panels in solar electricity generation is declining due to the accumulation of dust and surface contamination. Furthermore, the process of cleaning PV panels placed on the roofs of residential and commercial buildings is a challenging and potentially hazardous task. In this study, the SELFCLEAN PV hydrophilic nano-coating was applied to a single PV panel on a solar energy conversion system at Trakya University Faculty of Engineering, with consideration given to the roof slopes of buildings in the Edirne Province. During the summer season, when solar radiation was at its highest levels, data were collected continuously over 4 months. As a result of this practice, it was observed that energy production increased by 8.14% in June, 7.73% in July, 6.34% in August, and 5.34% in September in comparison to the standard PV panel. Furthermore, not having to clean PV panels for over 4 months offers labor and cost advantages, while water use is not required in this process, which significantly contributes to sustainability.