UNIVERSITY OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES GHANA, SUNYANI.

BSc. RENEWABLE ENERGY ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY ENGINEERING

2023/2024 ACADEMIC YEAR

BSc. RENEWABLE ENERGY ENGINEERING

LEVEL 100: RENG 172 ENERGY PROJECT 2 (PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF

SOLAR PV SYSTEMS).

TITLE: ENHANCING SOLAR PV SYSTEMS EFFICIENCY: A REVIEW OF

STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS PERFORMANCE ISSUESS.

By

 OFORI EDMUND SITSOFE UEB0600723

 AGYEI DAMOAH LOUIS UEB0600123
 SUMAILA ADAKUDUGU WAHID UEB0601123
 GYIMAH ADU POKU UEB0600923
 GOAYA JOSEPH UEB0601723

Highlights
 Investing and providing solutions to decrease the soiling effect
 Different types of cleaning methods were discussed.
 A new dust cleaning methodology is proposed.
ABSTRACT

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems have appeared as a component of the global transition to
renewable energy. The adoption of photovoltaic (PV) solar technology for power generation
is one of the fastest growing sources of renewable energy. In recent years, significant cost
reductions of PV modules and rising global demand for energy have been key drivers of the
solar industry’s exponential growth. While the majority of research into improving efficiency
of solar systems has focused on increasing power output, adverse effects of environmental
factors on system performance have largely been neglected (Arman Pouladia-Kari, 2022).
However, their efficiency is often compromised by various performance issues. Leading to
reduced energy output. This project aims to address these challenges and proposes a new
innovation to address the problem of soiling to improve solar PV system efficiency. This
paper also provides an appraisal on the current status of research in studying the impact of
dust on PV system performance and identifies challenges to further pertinent research. A
framework to understand the various factors that govern the settling or assimilation of dust
and likely mitigation measures have been discussed in this paper.

Keywords: Photovoltaic; Soiling; Dust accumulation; Cleaning methods; Partial shading;

Inverter Inefficiency; Module Degradation.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Solar PV systems have become a vital source of renewable energy globally. Solar PV
systems convert sunlight into electricity, offering a clean and sustainable energy source
alternative to fossil fuels. The increasing demand for renewable energy sources has led to
a significant growth in Solar PV installations worldwide. The price of electricity
generated from PV system largely depends on price and lifetime of PV modules because
of the high cost of the modules (IEC, 2005). Renewable energy sources have gained
prominence around the world, largely due to more noticeable adverse effects of climate
change and risks associated with fossil fuel, yet over 70% of global consumption was still
powered by non-renewables as of April 2020 (Noorollahi, 2021). PV Solar technology is
expected to play a key role in meeting future energy demand; by using the Sun’s virtually
unlimited clean energy to generate power. The global PV solar market has experienced
rapid growth predominantly due to the significant cost reduction of PV modules over the
past decade, as a result of high production volumes established in China, and is expected
to continue growing exponentially moving forward (Noorollahi et al., & Skar,, 2021).
Although solar power currently accounts for approximately 2% of globally generated
energy; more than a third of the world’s electricity will be generated using solar power by
2050, according to an IEA report (Skar, 2021).However, Solar PV systems efficiency is
 influenced by various factors including module degradation, soiling, and inverter
inefficiencies hinder their optimal operation.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Despites advancement in Solar PV technology, efficiency losses reduce the overall energy
output, these problems include module degradation, soiling and inverter inefficiency.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

To provide a review of strategies to enhance solar PV systems efficiency and address

performance issues.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To investigate the effects of environmental factors on solar PV module

degradation and suggest possible solution to enhance PV efficiency.
2. To evaluate the effectiveness of different cleaning methods on reducing soiling
effects and improving solar PV efficiency.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the primary factors affecting Solar PV system efficiency?

2. What is the impact of soiling on Solar PV system efficiency, and how can it be
minimized?

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

 The poor performance and high degradation of PV systems decrease the

expected power generation and shorten the lifetime of the systems, and make
the systems unattractive alternative energy source.
 Several studies have attributed the poor performance and high degradation
rates of PV systems to climatic conditions (Djordjevic et al., 2014 ). However,
(Ismail et al., 2012) and (Mgonja & Saidi, 2017) reckon that improper design
and installation by installers, and operation and maintenance practices of
system owners such as overloading of systems with inappropriate appliances,
overcharging and discharging of batteries and lack of regular cleaning could
 adversely have impact on the performance and degradation rate of PV systems
and shorten the lifespan of the systems.
 For instance, there are unanticipated failures such as defective modules,
malfunctioning charge controllers and corrosion at battery terminals which if
go undetected early, may lead to severe power loss and damage to the entire
system (Ancuta & Cepisca, 2011). Additionally, some components of the PV
systems such as batteries, and inverters have to be replaced within the lifetime
of the PV systems. This clearly indicate that regular monitoring and
maintenance are very necessary if PV systems would perform effectively and
efficiently over their lifetime.

1. INVERTER INEFFICIENCY
 Some components of the PV systems such as batteries and inverters have to be
replaced within the lifetime of the PV systems. Inverter inefficiency is another
critical performance issues. Research has emphasized the importance of selecting
high – efficiency inverters and optimizing their operation.
 Inverter inefficiency refers to the losses that occur when an inverter converts DC
(direct current) power to AC (alternating current) power. These losses can reduce
the overall efficiency and performance of the inverter, leading to energy waste and
increased cost.
 Advanced technology like the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) have
been showed to improve efficiency. Proper sizing of inverters for the PV system is
critical for effective performance of the systems because output power largely
depends on the size of the inverter (Bernard Aboagye & Djordjevic, 2022).
 Solar PV system components such as inverters and batteries that have shorter
lifespan than that of the PV modules require at least one replacement during the
lifetime of the system. For instance, the typical warranty period of PV module
ranges from 20 to 25 years while that of the inverter and battery is 5 to 10 years.
Thus, the inverter and battery are expected to be replaced at least once in the
lifetime of a PV system (Diez - Mediavilla et al., 2014). (Jordan et al., 2015)
reported that the main maintenance issue associated with solar PV system was the
inverter, which required replacement four times within 20 years. Although smaller
inverters are less robust and have high probability of failure, it is recommended
that smaller inverters should be used so that if there is failure of one, only that part
 of the operation would be shut down and the replacement cost would be low (Diez
- Mediavilla et al., 2014).

2. MODULE DEGEADATION

The efficiency of solar systems, in particular photovoltaic panels, is generally low. The output
of the PV module is adversely affected by their surface in temperature. This increase is
associated with the absorbed sunlight that is converted into heat, resulting in reduced power
output, energy efficiency performance and life of the panel. There are various environmental
factors that have an effect on the solar panel for example, sunlight, module surface
temperature and humidity.

 The orientation and tilt angle of PV modules are key factors to consider when
installing solar PV systems. These ensure that adequate quantity of sunlight falls
on the PV modules at all times within the year. The performance of PV module
depends on amount of solar radiation received by a PV module which in turn
depends on the orientation and tilt angle (Demain et al., 2013.) Therefore, in order
to increase the power output of a solar system, PV modules should be inclined at
optimum orientation and tilt angle determined for a particular site. The orientation
of modules is generally south in the northern hemisphere and north in the southern
hemisphere.
 The PV modules of rooftop systems should be mounted on strong and durable
support structure to withstand strong wind. It is importance to leave enough gap
between the modules and the roof to allow air flow at the back of the modules. It
was observed in some individual owned PV systems that, in order to avoid more
cost, no proper support structures were used for the modules and there were no
gaps between the modules and the roofs to allow adequate air flow at the back of
the modules (Dubey et al., 2014).

3. EFFECT OF SOILING ON SOLAR PV PANELS

The impact of soiling on PV system performance has been studied by several authors
through the use of experimental design, in laboratories and natural environments (Zarei et
al.).
 Soiling is a term used to define the accumulation of any physical
medium, that is opaque in nature, on the surface of solar panels;
examples include dust, sand, snow, leaves, pollen, algae or other types
of dirt. The subsequent adverse effects caused by soiling are: reduced
solar irradiation received by PV cells, and damage to the solar panels
(Gholami et al., & Adan et al.,, 2020, 2019).
 When particles are deposited onto a panel’s surface, sunlight is
obstructed and incident photons are either absorbed or reflected. As
more particles accumulate, less irradiation will reach the PV cells,
causing power output to reduce (Gholami et al., 2017).
 The degree of efficiency deterioration depends on the specific mass
and size of dust particles deposition on PV module surface. As the
mass of dust deposition increases, power output and efficiency of
module decrease, as the size become smaller, power output decreases
as smaller particles block more radiation on PV module surface.
 The presence of air pollution may deteriorate the energy yield of PV
panels; even after a short period of the panel’s outdoor exposure
without cleaning, it may cause a decrement in energy production. It is
important to note that for residential or small-scale commercial
systems, the impact of panel soiling on overall system performance can
be negligible in locations with typically low dust concentration and
frequent rainfall (Jiang et al., 2017).
 Several studies of the effect of soiling and dust accumulation on PV
systems were conducted in recent studies (Costa et al.) generally
highlighted the growing trend in research publications related to the
soiling and dust issues for PV systems. In 2016, it was reported that an
increase of about 15 times the number of published researchers since
2008. Since then, research efforts across the globe have also increased
remarkably to highlight the impact of soiling and dust on the
performance of PV systems.
 Dust is a term generally applying to minute solid particles. It occurs in
the atmosphere from various sources such as dust lifted up by wind,
pedestrian and vehicular movement, volcanic eruptions, and pollution.
(Monto Mani, 2010).
 In the context of this paper, dust would also refer to the minute pollens
(fungi, bacteria and vegetation) and microfibers (from fabrics such as
clothes, carpets, linen, etc.) that are omnipresent and easily scattered in
the atmosphere and consequently settle as dust.
 These dust accumulations on PV panel surface significantly lower their
overall efficiency. Fig. 1 shows an example of a PV system, were dust
and soil were accumulated on PV panels’ top surfaces.
 As a result of the soiling and accumulation of dust, the expected
energy generation of the system is intensely hindered.

4. EFFECT OF BIRDS DROPING ON PV PENEL

  Birds dropping is natural contamination source on a PV module,
excreted by birds through the cloaca. Commonly, birds do not have
urinary bladder, so they cannot separate stored liquid waste from
the solid one. Therefore, they are not able to store urine in their
body for such a long time but excrete it from time to time, the glass
surface that leads to shading. As the dropping falls on the glass
surface of the PV module, it tends to spread over a wide surface
with the conjunction between side by side overlapping of dropping
areas that form a cluster on the flat surface.
 Birds dropping deposition is related to the hard shading effect
resulting in the blocking of Sunlight (Lamont, 2011). This causes a
particular cell affected by the shade of a bird dropping to heat up
and, ultimately, the particular location will appear as a hot spot
(Ghazi et al.,, Sun et al.,, & Maghani et al.,, 2016).

5. SHADING

Shading has been found to be one of the factors that affect the performance
and degradation of PV modules.

 A portion of the cells of PV modules could be shaded by snow, dirt,

clouds, trees, building, light poles and other light-blocking obstacle.
These shaded cells are unable to produce adequate power to match the
other cells and thus, act as dead load on the working cells.
 This increases the temperature of the shaded cell which results in
formation of hotspots which can lead to permanently damaged of the
module (Rajiv & Kashmiri, 2012).
 (Denio, 2012) reported that one of the major problems related to PV
modules is hot spot heating and touted partial shading as one of the
major causes. (Dubey et al., 2014) Found that about 65% of the
modules surveyed in the All-India Survey of PV Module Degradation
2013 were shaded which affected the performance of the systems.
 Partial Shading tends to be detrimental upon the performance of
photovoltaic modules. Partial shading condition (PSC) has been
 considered one of the most considerable sources of loss in a
photovoltaic plant. Several solutions can be adapted to overcome this
problem, such as using an inverter integrated with global MPPT or
using an inverter for each panel.

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

The study covered three places in the University of Energy and Natural
Resources Sunyani namely; Hall one, Main campus and Hall two.

 The study covered 15 installed PV systems in different location in the

University comprising of 30 PV modules. The installed PV systems
were grouped into five with each group consisting of two installed PV
systems. The groups were selected depending on those affected by
soiling and dust accumulation and those affected by birds dropping and
also those with shade, all the modules were observed visually.
 The installation and maintenance issues were critically observed. The
current status of the systems shading, dust accumulation, soiling, and
birds dropping were obtained through observation. In order to classify
PV modules as shaded or unshaded, the type and position of the
shading objects relative to PV array were carefully observed to have a
better understanding and idea of the extent of shading on the individual
modules, bearing in mind the variability of shading during the day.

CHAPTER 4
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Shading

Shading is one of the key factors that affect the performance and degradation of PV modules.
In this study, shading was classified as full shading, partial shading and no shading.

 The study found that, five (5) out of the 15 systems were shaded
comprising of three (3) systems which were partially shaded and two
(2) systems which were fully shaded. Two (2) of the systems which
were partially shaded were shaded by trees and the remaining one (1)
system was shaded by a tank erected on the rooftop. One (1) of the
systems which was fully shaded was shaded by trees and the remaining
one (1) system was shaded by trees and building.
 The three (3) systems with partial shading were owned by Hall Two
while the Two (2) fully shaded systems were owned by Hall One. In
all, out of the 30 modules studies, 10 modules were shaded by objects.

Dust accumulation

The accumulation of dust particles on the PV module surface greatly affects the performance
of solar PV modules. In this study the accumulation of dust, birds dropping and water droplet
were observed.

 The study found that, five (5) out of the 30 systems were accumulated by dust and
owned by the Main Campus of the University.
 The remaining fifteen (15) of the systems, out of the that number, three (3) were
affected by birds dropping and two (2) of the remaining twelve (12) systems were
affected by water droplet.
 The remaining ten (10) of the systems were in a good condition and operating
efficiently.

Mounting Structures
The mounted structure used for the installation of the PV modules should be
strong and durable to withstand strong wind. The modules should be at a
reasonable height from the roof to ensure adequate gap between the modules
and the roof to allow air flow at the back of the modules to reduce the
temperature of the modules.

Cleaning of the modules

The accumulation of dust particles on the PV modules surfaces greatly affects

the performance of the solar PV modules. Thus, PV modules should be
regularly cleaned of dirt and debris to ensure that the modules perform
efficiently. However, it was observed that although the system owners were
aware of the importance of regular cleaning of the modules and were doing
some form of cleaning, most of them were not conducting regular cleaning of
the modules.

 Cleaning was carried out only when there were signs of low power
output. The reason was that cleaning the modules on top of roofs or
even the standalone ones is a difficult task. In some instances, lack of
access to water was a major hindrance to the cleaning of the modules
and most of the system owner have to depend on rainfall to clean the
modules.
 Periodic cleaning of the PV arrays is a critical necessity that needs to
be closely monitored and optimally scheduled to maintain a cost –
effective production. This project proposes a new innovative cleaning
method known as “Water – Dependent Cleaning”
 (Kasim, 2021) used an automated water spraying system to clean PV
arrays part of a 15kW PV power system fixed in Iraq. This cleaning
techniques helped the PV system to recover its total capacity on
average. Besides recovering the P V capacity, the apparent advantage
of this spraying system is its self – powering function, using the same
generated power.
 In Saudi Arabia, (Alghamdi, 2019) used high – volume low – pressure
water jets to clean an 8kW PV system installed in a carport.
 Cleaning by robots. (Baloushi et al., (2018)) designed and built a self
– powered robot with embedded PV cells and is equipped with dust
sensors, microfiber brushes, and air blower to automatically clean the
surface of the PV array under test as directed by its built – in micro –
controller. The fig 2 shows cleaning by robot mounted on PV panel
and fig 3 shows PV array cleaned by water spraying system

Cleaning by robot mounted on PV panel

PV array cleaned by water spraying system

 CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

Several techniques were employed to enhance the efficiency of the solar PV

systems. These included optimizing the tilt angle of solar panels to maximize
sunlight exposure, improving the tracking system to follow the sun’s
movement throughout the day, and increasing the use of high – efficiency solar
panels and inverters. The Methodology culminated in a comprehensive
overview of strategies to address performance issues and enhance the
efficiency of the solar PV systems. The findings from the literature review,
performance issues analysis, and comparative analysis were integrated to
provide a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities in
improving the performance of the solar PV systems.

These findings have significant implications for the renewable energy sector,
as increasing the efficiency of the solar PV systems can lead to a greater
uptake of solar power as a viable energy source. This can help reduce reliance
on fossil fuels and lower greenhouse emissions, contributing to efforts to
combat change.

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