Optical Microscopy Study of Soiling on Photovoltaic Glass: Evaluation of Mitigation Strategies

Chaiwat Engtrakul, David Miller, Lin Simpson, Matthew Muller, Sarah Toth, Jim John, Sonali Warade, Anil Kottantharayil, Asher Einhorn, Leonardo Micheli

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

1 Scopus Citations

Abstract

The natural soiling of photovoltaic cover glass has recently been shown to include both inorganic and organic particulate matter. Under favorable growth conditions, the latter can lead to the growth of dense colonies of filamentous fungi, potentially leading to measurable performance losses over time. Herein, we report on a field study where glass coupon samples were deployed in soiling-prone locations, focusing on Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Mumbai (India). For each site location, clear differences in the soiling were observed. The samples from Mumbai were contaminated with an abundance of filamentous fungi whereas the samples from Dubai had primarily inorganic contamination. The effectiveness of soiling mitigation strategies, including cleaning techniques and glass coatings, are discussed in detail.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages2841-2846
Number of pages6
DOIs
StatePublished - 26 Nov 2018
Event7th IEEE World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, WCPEC 2018 - Waikoloa Village, United States
Duration: 10 Jun 201815 Jun 2018

Conference

Conference7th IEEE World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, WCPEC 2018
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityWaikoloa Village
Period10/06/1815/06/18

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 IEEE.

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/CP-5900-71797

Keywords

  • anti-reflective
  • anti-soiling
  • biofouling
  • coating
  • cover glass
  • degradation
  • fungus
  • photovoltaic
  • soiling

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