Wind tunnel experiments and field investigations of eolian dust deposition on photovoltaic solar collectors

Wind tunnel simulations and field experiments were executed to investigate the deposition of atmospheric dust on solar collectors. In the wind tunnel, dust storms were simulated on scale models of a photovoltaic collector. The effect of wind velocity, wind direction, and diurnal collector rotation upon the total amount of dust settling on the collector is examined. Also investigated is the distribution of the dust over the three distinct panels (2 mirrors + 1 photovoltaic panel) of the collector. Wind direction and solar collector rotation appear to have a serious impact on dust deposition and dust deposition distribution. Wind velocity, on the other hand, has only a small effect on dust deposition distribution, provided wind speed is sufficiently high (some m · s −1 at minimum). Field experiments were executed on real-size collectors to verify the wind tunnel data. The wind tunnel results approximate the field results very closely. This demonstrates the usefulness and importance of the technique in solar collector research.