Estimating Dust Accumulation on Photovoltaic Modules in the UAE

A Master of Science thesis in Electrical Engineering by Amal AbdulAziz AlArif entitled, “Estimating Dust Accumulation on Photovoltaic Modules in the UAE”, submitted in May 2019. Thesis advisor is Dr. Mostafa Shaaban. Soft and hard copy available.

Abstract

Among the challenges facing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), dust is considered the most severe problem that faces the growth of solar power plants. Dust accumulation on solar PV panels results in a degradation in the output power. The UAE has a low intensity of rainfalls and wind velocity; thus, solar PV panels must be cleaned manually or using automated cleaning methods which are costly. Estimating dust accumulation on solar PV panels will increase the output power of solar PV power plants and reduce maintenance costs by initiating cleaning actions only when required. In this thesis, the effect of natural dust accumulation on solar PV panels is investigated using field measurements and regression modeling. Experimental data were collected under various weather conditions and controlled levels of dust. Solar PV output power, ambient temperature, solar irradiance, and dust were monitored in a period of two months to collect sufficient data for constructing a dust estimation model. Regression models were trained and tested to develop an accurate model for estimating the dust accumulated on solar PV panels in the UAE. The developed fine tree regression model provided accurate dust accumulation prediction with Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of\ 0.0255 g/m2. The model was tested on different case studies with a random amount of dust applied the solar PV panels to confirm the accuracy of the developed model.