Solar panels become less effective due to air pollution

Solar panels, despite all their advantages for the environment and the economy, still have some disadvantages. And not so long ago, scientists discovered another: it turns out that their effectiveness can be prevented by air pollution. According to a new study, in some parts of the globe the accumulation of solid particles on solar panels can reduce the energy yield by more than 25%.

Decrease in efficiency of solar panels

The study, the results of which appeared in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, shows that the regions most receptive to this problem also made the biggest investments in solar energy. This is, first of all, China, India and the Arabian Peninsula.

"My colleagues from India demonstrated several solar installations on the roof of their university, and I was shocked by how dirty their panels were," said study lead author Michael Bergin of Duke University. - I assumed that this contamination should influence the efficiency of the panels, but there were no studies before that would assess these losses. So we decided to find out for ourselves. "

Pollution analysis

Together with colleagues from the Indian Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar, Bergin measured the efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels installed in this building. In the course of the chemical analysis, it turned out that 92% of the dirt is a natural dust. But what is included in the remaining 8%? These are pollutants that have emerged as a result of human activities, such as fossil fuel combustion products, and biomass.

Although artificial pollutants on solar panels turned out to be less than natural ones, they can lead to an increase in energy loss, argues Bergin.

"Artificial particles are more sticky and smaller, so they are harder to clean than natural dust," he said. Also, small particles more effectively block sunlight than natural dust.

Despite the fact that cleaning the panels led to an immediate 50% surge in energy efficiency, Bergin warned that this is not yet a reason for joy. "The more you clean them, the higher the risk of re-contamination," he says.

Damage

According to Bergin, in areas of China with the strongest air pollution, artificial particles can cause damage annually in the amount of tens of billions of dollars due to failures in the production of solar energy. It is in China that currently about half of all solar panels in the world are installed.

"We have always known that these pollutants have a bad effect on human health and cause climate change, but now it is proved that they also reduce the efficiency of solar energy," Bergin said. "This is another reason why many governments are taking control measures on emissions."