Seasonal effects of atmospheric particulate matter on performance ofdifferent types of photovoltaic modules in sanliurfa, Turkey

Özet

In Turkey, Southeastern Anatolia region is the highest in terms of solar radiation level. However, the provinces inthe region are subject to Particulate Matter (PM) coming from the Sahara desert, the Syrian Desert and theArabian Desert by atmospheric transport. The daily limit of PM10and PM2.5set by WHO for health is oftenexceeded in Sanliurfa. PM10and PM2.5pollutants also accumulate on the Photovoltaic (PV) panels and cause lossof PV panel performance. In this study, the effects of atmospheric dust deposition on the performance of PVpanel was determined for both monocrystalline and polycrystalline technologies under Sanliurfa atmosphericconditions. Two panels with the same characteristics were used for each PV panel group from 2 different PVtechnologies. One of the panels in the group was cleaned by washing with distilled water every Monday whilethe other was not cleaned. Thus, the effect of the dust accumulation on the PV panel was determined bycomparison to the cleaned PV panel. PV panel power is measured with I–V meter. Panel surface temperature,solar radiation and other meteorological parameters are measured simultaneously. The measurements were doneevery Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12:00 am from May 1 to December 31, 2019. It is observed that thedust accumulation reduces the PV power output up to 8% depending on the amount of radiation. During thesummer months, the power loss on the average is 4.33% for monocrystalline and 4.57% for polycrystalline. Inthe autumn months, it is less than 1.77%.