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Effect of Dust Composition on the Reversibility of Photovoltaic Panel Soiling.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Varga, HF; Wiesner, MR
Published in: Environmental science & technology
February 2021

Eight types of common airborne particles were used to investigate whether the composition of dust influences its soiling potential on photovoltaic panels. Chosen model particles were roughly spherical, 10-30 μm in diameter to minimize the differences in size and shape. While the predicted van der Waals forces were lower than the adhesion forces measured with an atomic force microscope (AFM), the adhesion potential as a function of surface energy did follow the theoretical pattern. The organic and carbon-based materials, namely the pollen grains and spherical graphite, exhibited a significantly larger adhesion force to the glass surface, indicating high attachment efficiency. The developed generalized linear model confirmed that the type of material should be included in soiling models as a variable, as it provides information on the likelihood of particles sticking to and remaining on the surface. The adhesion force between soiled particles and the surface can be estimated based on the local ambient dust composition to predict the short-term fate of the depositing particles and develop cleaning schedules and techniques accordingly. The results also highlight the need to study dust composition to understand long-term soiling, where chemical characteristics and changing environmental conditions may lead to cementation.

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Published In

Environmental science & technology

DOI

EISSN

1520-5851

ISSN

0013-936X

Publication Date

February 2021

Volume

55

Issue

3

Start / End Page

1984 / 1991

Related Subject Headings

  • Pollen
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Dust
 

Citation

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Varga, H. F., & Wiesner, M. R. (2021). Effect of Dust Composition on the Reversibility of Photovoltaic Panel Soiling. Environmental Science & Technology, 55(3), 1984–1991. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c06196
Varga, Hanna F., and Mark R. Wiesner. “Effect of Dust Composition on the Reversibility of Photovoltaic Panel Soiling.Environmental Science & Technology 55, no. 3 (February 2021): 1984–91. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c06196.
Varga HF, Wiesner MR. Effect of Dust Composition on the Reversibility of Photovoltaic Panel Soiling. Environmental science & technology. 2021 Feb;55(3):1984–91.
Varga, Hanna F., and Mark R. Wiesner. “Effect of Dust Composition on the Reversibility of Photovoltaic Panel Soiling.Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 55, no. 3, Feb. 2021, pp. 1984–91. Epmc, doi:10.1021/acs.est.0c06196.
Varga HF, Wiesner MR. Effect of Dust Composition on the Reversibility of Photovoltaic Panel Soiling. Environmental science & technology. 2021 Feb;55(3):1984–1991.
Journal cover image

Published In

Environmental science & technology

DOI

EISSN

1520-5851

ISSN

0013-936X

Publication Date

February 2021

Volume

55

Issue

3

Start / End Page

1984 / 1991

Related Subject Headings

  • Pollen
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Dust