Impact of PDMS/SiO2-TiO2 Nanocoating on the Efficiency of Photovoltaic Solar Panels
摘要
Solar energy absorption rates decrease and PV panel efficiency decreases when dust builds up on photovoltaic installations located in dry regions. This research assesses how well a self-cleaning nano-coating operates as a thin film. The nano-coating shows effectiveness in decreasing dust build-up while maximizing PV Panel performance. Scientific evaluations focus on both the nano-coating material and collected dust samples. The researchers recorded measurements of ambient temperatures and solar irradiation levels continuously. Through HRTEM analysis researchers detected nano-sized irregular particles that demonstrated sticky features which resulted in shading effects when settling on PV panel surfaces. Particle morphology analysis indicated that the coating particles maintained an even spherical shape which showed effective prevention. During the test the solar irradiance varied from 310 W/m2 through a high point of 820 W/m2. The short circuit measurements indicated a dramatic improvement after self-cleaning nano-coating application because the coated panels produced a stable current average of 2.9A which surpassed uncoated panel levels at 1.8 A by 62.1%. The coated panel produced power between 9 and 40 W with an overall average of 26 W yet the uncoated panel generated power from 6 to 24 W at a typical level of 15.3 W. Evidence shows nano-coating technology possesses significant potential to fight dust effectively in environments with high dust levels thus improving PV system operational reliability.