Effects of marine environment on electrical output characteristics of PV module

Abstract

In the context of green ships, solar photovoltaic (PV) as an important clean energy technology has attracted the attention of many scholars in the shipping industry. To ensure the stable electrical output of PV modules is the premise for the effective use of solar photovoltaic technology on ships. Different from the terrestrial environment, the disturbance of marine environmental factors to the electrical output characteristics of PV modules should be considered. It is clear that salt spray and seawater are the most important marine environmental factors that affect the electrical output characteristics of PV modules, and the corresponding mechanism is analyzed. A marine environment simulation experimental platform for PV modules is built, and experiment verification is carried out. The results show that salt spray and seawater have different perturbations on the electrical output characteristics of PV modules, and the effects will change with the change of salt spray and seawater. The combined influence of salt spray on the electrical output of the PV module is a maximum power reduction of about 6%, and the combined influence of seawater on the electrical output of the PV module is a maximum power increase of about 20%. The experiment results can provide the research basis for further research on environmental disturbance suppression methods for PV modules.