Economics of seasonal photovoltaic soiling and cleaning optimization scenarios

Leonardo Micheli, Eduardo F. Fernandez, Jorge T. Aguilera and Florencia Almonacid

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: The present study analyzes the soiling losses of a 1 MW system installed in the South of Spain. Both the Levelized Cost of Energy and the Net Present Value are used to compare the convenience of different mitigation strategies. It is found that also PV installations located in moderate regions, where the yearly soiling losses are limited to 3%, can suffer of a severe seasonal soiling, with power drops higher than 20%. In these conditions, an optimized cleaning schedule can be considerably beneficial from an economic perspective. For the given site, an optimal cleaning schedule generates a raise in profits up to 3.6% if one yearly cleaning is performed within a ± 31-day window in summer. The convenience of one and multiple cleaning strategies is investigated by considering variable electricity prices and cleaning costs. In addition, the impact of the module efficiency on the cleaning strategy is analyzed. It is found that an optimized cleaning schedule can enhance the benefits of installing high efficiency modules, as it increases the amount of energy recovered through each cleaning and, therefore, the profits.

Keywords: Photovoltaic; Soiling; Performance Ratio; Cleaning; Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-reg
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/105229/8/MPRA_paper_105229.pdf revised version (application/pdf)

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