The US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and its research partners say that different types of wood dust can reduce the efficiency of solar panels by more than 15 percent. Unlike the immediate improvement expected after heavy rainfall, productivity recovery after the pollen season occurs gradually. Washing hands after rain can increase efficiency by 5-11%.
From the American magazine PV
A joint study by experts from NREL, Duke University, Solar Unsold, Spain's Zen University and Rome's Sapienza University found that only rain can effectively clean solar panels.
In a study of different types of pollen at five solar power plants in North Carolina, researchers found that pollen from tree species such as cypress, juniper, pine and oak stick particularly strongly to solar panels.
During peak pollen periods, the efficiency of solar panels drops by up to 15% due to pollen changes. Despite being "cleaned" by the rain, the uncleaned panels suffered annual production losses of around 10%. Manual cleaning with a wet brush after rain increased productivity by 5-11%.
The studied stations with capacity from 4 MW to 9 MW are oriented 20 degrees south and operate for about seven years.
Researchers initially expected minimal damage from the pollution due to the region's relatively high average rainfall and short dry spells. However, during testing, they found that pollution and production-related losses exceeded their expectations.
This data set is not universally applicable across the country as the type and intensity of pollen varies from region to region. Deserts are mostly affected by pollen, but agricultural areas of the region also face pollen problems during certain seasons. Businesses on the East Coast of the United States, typically characterized by a wetter climate and dense forest cover, continue to face pollen-related problems.
In this study, tree pollen was the dominant species affecting the sites in spring, significantly affecting solar energy production. The researchers noticed that grass and weed pollen, which peaks in late summer, was not associated with peak solar panel pollution, unlike tree pollen.
NREL and Solar Unsoiled will continue research to better understand the problem. They observed that pollen grains from different plants have different levels of adhesion, which is influenced by factors such as the size and shape of the grains, the nature of the surface on which they lie, the properties of their components and environmental conditions such as sh. relative humidity and wind. . sample.
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gotta do it!!
