Impact of Dust Deposition on Solar Photovoltaic Systems: A Comprehensive Review of Performance Degradation, Regional Variations, and Mitigation Strategies

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🔬研究者:Comprehensive synthesis of dust effects and mitigation strategies, useful for identifying research gaps and regional focus areas.

🏢実務担当者:Provides practical guidance on cleaning methods and technologies to maintain PV efficiency, directly applicable to solar farm maintenance teams.

Solar energy is emerging as a cornerstone of the global renewable energy transition, with projections indicating that photovoltaics (PV) could contribute up to 90% of electricity generation by 2050. However, environmental factors, particularly dust deposition, pose a significant challenge to the long-term performance and efficiency of PV systems. Dust accumulation varies widely across different geographic regions, influenced by climate, land use, humidity, and pollution. Arid and semi-arid areas experience the highest deposition rates, while tropical and temperate regions are affected by seasonal rainfall and urban pollutants. This review comprehensively examines the impact of dust on PV performance, highlighting factors such as surface roughness of PV module, panel tilt angle, seasonal variations, wind dynamics, and dust composition. Furthermore, the review assesses various dust mitigation strategies, including manual and water-based cleaning, robotic systems, hydrophobic coatings, and electrostatic methods. By synthesizing global studies and presenting a holistic view of dust effects, this paper provides critical insights into the impact of performance degradation with regional variation in PV, optimizing performance, maintenance, and effective dust mitigation strategies to ensure sustained energy yield and reliability in solar energy systems worldwide.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.3390/su18104893first seen 2026-06-04 04:40:51