Performance evaluation of solar photovoltaic panels under bird droppings accumulation using thermography

Bird guano accumulation is one of the environmental issues that could affect the performance degradation of solar photovoltaic modules (SPV). Therefore, the thermal behavior of SPV modules under different accumulations of bird guano (1, 2, 3, and 4 drops) has been investigated and evaluated. Also, the results have been compared with the clean module (control). The study found that the presence of bird guano on the SPV modules created hot spots on the panels’ surface, which increased their working temperature by 5% as compared to the clean module. The higher accumulation of bird guano (4 drops) led to a decrease in the module’s currents by 36–38% as compared to the clean module, while the module’s voltage was slightly affected. In addition, the output power and efficiency of SPV modules under the accumulation of bird guano were found to be lower by 26 and 43%, respectively, as compared to the clean module. These results provide evidence of the performance degradation of the SPV modules by accumulated bird guano, which drives the importance of properly maintaining and servicing the SPV modules. This is possibly achieved through the proper cooling and cleaning process.