Cleaning of Floating Photovoltaic Systems: A Critical Review on Approaches from Technical and Economic Perspectives

Rafi Zahedi, Parisa Ranjbaran, Gevork B. Gharehpetian, Fazel Mohammadi and Roya Ahmadiahangar
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Rafi Zahedi: Electrical Engineering Department, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran 15916-39675, Iran
Parisa Ranjbaran: Department of Renewable Energies and Environment, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran 13145-1384, Iran
Gevork B. Gharehpetian: Electrical Engineering Department, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran 15916-39675, Iran
Fazel Mohammadi: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 1K3, Canada
Roya Ahmadiahangar: Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics, Tallinn University of Technology, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-25

Abstract: There are some environmental factors, such as ambient temperature, dust, etc., which cause a reduction in the efficiency of Photovoltaic (PV) systems. Installation of PV panels on the water surface, commonly known as Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) systems, is one solution to employ PV panels in a cooler environment, achieve higher efficiency, and reduce water evaporation. FPV systems open up new opportunities for scaling up solar generating capacity, especially in countries with high population density and valuable lands, as well as countries with high evaporation rates and water resources deficiency. Since the FPV system is an almost new concept, its cleaning techniques have not been comprehensively studied. While FPV systems are located on the surface of water resources and reservoirs, the water quality can limit the application of different cleaning techniques. Therefore, this paper investigates different techniques of FPV systems cleaning and categorizes them into water-based and water-free approaches. In addition, their cleaning frequencies, as well as economic aspects, are presented and discussed to determine their merits and demerits for using them in FPV systems.

Keywords: dust accumulation; Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) systems; Floating Photovoltaic (FPV) cleaning techniques; soiling; water-based cleaning approaches; water-free cleaning approaches (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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