A study about the self-cleaning of a PV module surface using photocatalyst

Power generation using a Photo-Voltaic(PV) module has attracted attention because it doesn't emit harmful substances such as carbon dioxide. One of a use is energy source in regions without electricity. However, as a problem, no one has a technique to maintain of a performance in such areas. If they can't maintain the performance, power generation will reduce. Therefore, it is necessary for maintenance-free. As one cause, that the power generated is reduced, we focused an adhesion of pollution. We should make a self-cleaning on a PV modules surface. We propose photocatalyst as a solution. Photocatalyst used in the study is Molecular-bond-Titania-Silica-Photocatalyst. It is developed for a PV module. By coating the photocatalyst on a surface of a PV module, we evaluated the self-cleaning effect. We performed separately in short-term and long-term experiments. We used mud as pollution in short-term examination. On the other hand, we exposed a PV module to outdoor air on long-term examination. As these results, we found that self-cleaning effect of the Molecular-bond-Titania-Silica-Photocatalyst is effective.