Analysis and mitigation of nonuniform soiling distribution on utility‐scale photovoltaic systems

• Published in: Progress in photovoltaics 2022-03, Vol.30 (3), p.211-228
• Main Authors: Micheli, Leonardo, Fernández, Eduardo F., Fernández‐Solas, Álvaro, Bessa, João Gabriel, Almonacid, Florencia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chile; Cleaning; cleaning optimization; Cost analysis; Deposition; Economic analysis; Economic conditions; Electricity pricing; Energy costs; mitigation profits; Photovoltaic cells; photovoltaic performance; Sensitivity analysis; soiling; Strings; Systems analysis; Unpaved roads
• ISSN: 1062-7995; 1099-159X
• DOI: 10.1002/pip.3477

The present paper evaluates the soiling losses of a 3.25‐MW photovoltaic (PV) system installed in central Chile, 200 km north of Santiago, and analyzes the nonuniform soiling deposition between the various strings for a period of 3 years. A robust methodology is developed to extract, in the most systematic way, 142 reliable soiling profiles from the 256 PV power time series recorded on site. It is found that, if unmitigated, soiling would reduce the annual DC energy generation by 8%, with a factor of 2× between the losses of the most and least affected strings. Most of the losses are registered on the edges of the plant, closer to traffic and unpaved roads. The most soiling intense months are in summer, result of the infrequent rainfalls and of the high concentrations of suspended particles that characterize this season. The revenues and the costs of different manual cleaning frequencies are evaluated and compared to identify the optimal soiling mitigation strategy for this site. Three cleanings per year are found to return the highest profits for the economic conditions considered in this study. However, a sensitivity analysis shows how different cleaning costs and electricity prices would affect the soiling mitigation strategy. In addition, in light of the nonuniform soiling deposition distribution, the possibility of cleaning only selected strings rather than the full PV plant is discussed. The magnitude and the spatial distribution of soiling at a 3.25‐MW PV system in Chile are investigated, along with potential profits of an optimized mitigation strategy. A yearly average 8% loss is found, with a factor of 2× between the losses of the most and least affected strings, respectively, located at the sides and at the center of the plant. Most of the losses occur in summer because of the infrequent rainfalls and the high suspended particle concentrations. For a cleaning cost of $1.9/kW and an electricity price of $0.16/kWh, three cleanings per year are recommended.