Effect of dust deposition on the performance of photovoltaic modules in Taxila, Pakistan

Dust deposition significantly reduces the performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules, with monocrystalline silicon modules experiencing greater losses compared to polycrystalline ones. A three-month study in Taxila, Pakistan, found that dust accumulation at 0.9867 mg/cm² led to a 20% decrease in average output power for monocrystalline modules and 16% for polycrystalline modules, alongside efficiency drops of 3.55% and 3.01%, respectively. The research systematically measured the impact of dust on PV performance by comparing clean and dirty modules under natural atmospheric conditions, highlighting the critical need to address dust-related losses in renewable energy systems.

Ali, H., Zafar, M., Bashir, M., Nasir, M., Ali, M., & Siddiqui, A. (2017). Effect of dust deposition on the performance of photovoltaic modules in Taxila, Pakistan. Thermal Science, 21(2), 915–923. https://doi.org/10.2298/tsci140515046a