Dust Accumulation Effects on the Performance of Photovoltaic Panels:An Experimental Study in the Algerian Region of El-Oued

Abstract

This paper examines the dust accumulation impact on the performance of photovoltaic panels in the Algerian region of El-Oued, where two similar photovoltaic panels were analyzed: a clean reference photovoltaic panel (PVr) and a dirty targeted photovoltaic panel (PVt) with 14.5 g/m² of dust. The data was collected on May 4th and 13th, 2022, through experimental works and numerical validation. The results show that dust significantly reduces the PV performance. On May 4th, 2022, the PVr produced 330.89 Wh, compared to 216.72 Wh for the PVt, with a difference of 34.65%. On May 13th, 2022, PVr generated 414.01 Wh, while PVt produced 271.16 Wh, with a difference of 34.67%. In terms of PV power generation, PVr reached maximum values of 52.82 W and 66.28 W on May 4th and 13th, respectively, compared to 34.5 W and 43.29 W for PVt. The PVr performance varied between 5.85% and 6.56%, while that of PVt was limited to 3.82% and 4.29%. These results highlight the importance of keeping photovoltaic panels clean to ensure optimal energy production, especially in desert environments like El-Oued,. Moreover, the study confirms that regular panel maintenance is essential to minimize power reduction due to dust and guarantee maximum panel efficiency