Impact of Dust and Shade on Solar Panel Efficiency and Development of a Simple Method for Measuring the Impact of Dust

Abstract

This research investigates the impact of shadow and natural dust on the performance of solar photovoltaic modules installed on the Jordan University of Science and Technology Campus (Irbid-Jordan). According to the results, shading and obscuring cells in photovoltaic modules have the greatest effect on module performance. Natural dust has a proportionate influence on performance depending on how long it accumulates, with a 13% decline in output power occurring after three month of accumulation. By absorbing or dispersing photons, dust reduces the quantity of light that reaches solar cells. The intensity of solar radiation is measured beneath a clean and a dirty glass sheet based on this concept. Dust-induced reductions in radiation intensity have been shown to be qualitatively equal to reductions in solar module output power. As a result, without monitoring the electric output parameters, this simple and low-cost technique may be utilized to investigate the influence of accumulating dust on solar photovoltaic systems.