Mathematical Modelling of a System for Solar PV Efficiency Improvement Using Compressed Air for Panel Cleaning and Cooling

Marcus King, Dacheng Li, Mark Dooner, Saikat Ghosh, Jatindra Nath Roy, Chandan Chakraborty and Jihong Wang
Additional contact information
Marcus King: School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Dacheng Li: School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Mark Dooner: School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Saikat Ghosh: Advanced Technology Development Centre, IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
Jatindra Nath Roy: Advanced Technology Development Centre, IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
Chandan Chakraborty: Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
Jihong Wang: School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-18

Abstract: The efficiency of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels is greatly reduced by panel soiling and high temperatures. A mechanism for eliminating both of these sources of inefficiencies is presented by integrating solar PV generation with a compressed air system. High-pressure air can be stored and used to blow over the surface of PV panels, removing present dust and cooling the panels, increasing output power. A full-system mathematical model of the proposed system is presented, comprised of compressed air generation and storage, panel temperature, panel cleaning, and PV power generation. Simulation results indicate the benefit of employing compressed air for cleaning and cooling solar PV panels. For a fixed volume of compressed air, it is advantageous to blow air over the panels early in the day if the panel is soiled or when solar radiation is most abundant with the highest achievable flow rate if the panel is clean. These strategies have been shown to achieve the greatest energy captures for a single PV panel. When comparing the energy for air compression to the energy gain from cleaning a single PV over a two-week period, an energy ROI of 23.8 is determined. The system has the potential to eliminate the requirement for additional manual cleaning of solar PV panels.

Keywords: solar photovoltaics; compressed air; renewable energy; mathematical modelling (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 (1)

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