A review on impacts from dust deposition on photovoltaic modules

The use of photovoltaic solar energy has been growing remarkably over the last years due to environmental concerns and a decline in fossil fuel resources, increasing the participation of renewable energies. The electric energy provided by a photovoltaic module depends greatly on the amount of irradiance that reaches its photovoltaic cells. However, the efficiency of these cells can also be affected by external factors such as wind speed, ambient temperature, relative humidity, shading and dust deposition. The deposition of dust on the surface of a photovoltaic module attenuates the incident solar irradiance leading to a decrease in the generated energy. In this context, this paper provides a review of previous and current studies on the impact of dust deposition on the performance of photovoltaic systems. In addition, it investigates whether the economic losses related to this impact are considered in the economic feasibility of deploying such systems.