Optimizing Cleaning Frequency for Photovoltaic Panels: Balancing Dust Accumulation and Energy Yield in Arid Climates

Dust deposition on photovoltaic (PV) panels poses a serious challenge in arid and desert environments, as it leads to a substantial reduction in solar energy conversion efficiency and overall system performance. The provided study is a simulation of the impact PV efficiency is exposed to various cleaning strategies within the timeframe of 150 days in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Using four scenarios, the model was able to simulate; clean PV, unclean PV, weekly cleaned, and monthly cleaned. The findings indicate that untidy panels may end up losing as much as 30 percent of their energy production to the dust and that weekly cleaning will keep more than 93 percent of the optimum performance. Output is also better with cleaning done monthly, but this is less effective. A PID type control system also was tested where cleaning would go automatic when power loss was over 15%. This intelligent design led to an avoidance of redundant maintenance at minimal cost of performance. The simulation focuses on frequent or smart cleaning modes for dusty conditions. This led to the development of actionable insights to enhance solar energy production in areas with high dust content and therefore provide cleaner and more reliable energy sources.

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