Abstract

Solar photovoltaic (PV) system converts energy from sun radiation into electricity. A major factor in the drop of efficiency of solar PV panels is the accumulated dust on the panel. This study was performed to analyse the effects of accumulation of such dirt on the output performances of solar panels. The study was conducted by using seven commercial solar panels installed in a solar laboratory (Department of Electrical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria), measurements were taken hourly (8:00am to 6:00pm) every day for a period of two weeks. Three dusts samples (Sandy soil, Loamy soil and Ash) each of weights 5gram and 10gram were used in the experiment. Experimental analysis showed that, the accumulated dust on the surface of photovoltaic solar panel can reduce the system’s output power by up to 27% for 5gram of dust, and 37% for 10gram of dust. The minimum output power of 1.46W and 1.27W were observed during the accumulation of 5gram and 10gram of ash respectively. This shows that ash sample has a greater impact in reducing the performance of a solar panel when compared with the other samples used. It was also shown that under greater irradiation, the effect of dust became reduced but not negligible.

Key words: Renewable Energy, Photovoltaic systems, Solar PV modules performance, Solar Irradiation, Dust accumulation