A Study on the Performance of Soiled Solar Photovoltaic Panels at Different Tilt Angles in Al Seeb, Oman

Girma T. Chala (), Shaharin A. Sulaiman and Xuecheng Chen ()
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Girma T. Chala: Department of Mechanical Engineering (Well Engineering), International College of Engineering and Management, P.O. Box 2511, C.P.O Seeb, Muscat 111, Oman
Shaharin A. Sulaiman: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, Malaysia
Xuecheng Chen: Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Piastów Ave. 42, 71-065 Szczecin, Poland

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: Climate and weather conditions greatly affect photovoltaic (PV) module performance and efficiency, particularly in desert environments. Dust accumulation, which significantly reduces power generation efficiency, is currently the main issue facing photovoltaic modules since it affects the return on investment of PV systems. It is believed that the tilt angle of solar PV panels can be helpful in reducing the effect of soiling using the gravitational force experienced by the dust particles, mainly in dry environments. In this work, experimental studies were conducted to investigate the effects of the tilt angle and dust deposition on the electrical power generation performance of photovoltaic modules under weather conditions in Al Seeb, Oman. The study was conducted by exposing solar PV panels to outdoor sunlight for two weeks. Two of the PV panels with fixed and different tilt angles were cleaned on a daily basis, while another panel was left uncleaned. A comparison was made with the panel that was not cleaned for an extended time. Measurements included solar irradiance, solar panel temperature, voltage, and current. The output power and efficiency reached 93.5 W and 24.5%, respectively, for the panel cleaned daily. Furthermore, soiling resulted in an 18.8% power loss. The results showed that the highest output power of 79.75 W was observed at an angle of 25°, with an efficiency of up to 20.5%. Moreover, the power generated was up to 9.8% higher than that at different tilt angles.

Keywords: solar energy; PV panels; soiling; tilt angle; efficiency (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: 2025
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