A review of dust accumulation and cleaning methods for solar photovoltaic systems

Utilizing solar energy to generate electricity on large scale photovoltaic (PV) power plants became a trend as a new option adopted by many countries. The optimum installation of PV power plants depends on the geographical location, which specifies irradiation, latitude, longitude, tilt angle, orientation, etc. However, the PV panel affected by many environmental parameters, which has a significant impact on the power productivity, conversion efficiency, and cost of energy. Dust is one of the essential parameters that affect PV panel performance, yield, and profitability. However, the dust characteristics (type, size, shape, meteorology, etc.) is geographical site specified. Many researchers investigated PV panel dust cleaning and mitigation methods. This paper put into perspective the recent investigations of dust impact on PV systems and decent cleaning methods. It is found that daily PV power losses and monthly efficiency reduction due to dust in some locations is more than 1% and 80%, respectively, which is relatively high. The present paper aims to provide an appraisal of dust problem and cleaning methods status, challenges, and prospects. Also, a critical review is developed for researchers interested in this field. It is found the main dust elements which have impact are six dust pollutants. Also, the study conclude that selection of the dust cleaning method depends on many parameters in term of technical and economic aspects. Finally, this paper contains a comprehensive review of dust problem and cleaning methods for engineers, designers, and researchers dealing with PV systems. •A comprehensive review of dust problems and PV cleaning methods is discus.•A new dust cleaning methodology is proposed.•Different type of cleaning methods was discussed and compared technically and economically.