News Details

The research on solar panel soiling, optimal cleaning and revenue analysis lead by Dr. M. Ryyan Khan (Assistant Professor, EEE, EWU) has been featured in pv-magazine. The other team-members of this work are Md. Mahamudul Hasan Mithhu and Tahmina Ahmed Rima (graduates of EEE, EWU).

This study is the world’s first on global analysis on soiling, cleaning, and revenue prediction. Although Asia has the highest solar farm installed capacity, it is highly prone to dust and soiling. Europe is observed to have one of the lowest soiling loss rates. Interestingly, the revenue lost is approximately 2-5% for most locations over the globe, even after optimal cleaning cycles. In Asia, the revenue is lost due to lower yield of dust affected panels. And, in Europe, the revenue is lost due to extremely high panel cleaning costs in solar farms. The numerical models presented by the researchers will be a basis for further research, and the compact analytical model will guide investors to properly assess potential solar farm installation sites.

1. pv-magazine article:
   https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/02/09/new-model-to-predict-pv-module-cleaning-cycles-and-resulting-profits/
2. The research article:
   Md. M. H. Mithhu, T. A. Rima, and M. R. Khan, “Global analysis of optimal cleaning cycle and profit of soiling affected solar panels,” Applied Energy, vol. 285, p. 116436, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116436.