Dust Effect and its Economic Analysis on PV Modules Deployed in a Temperate Climate Zone

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of dust on the degradation of PV modules deployed in a temperate climate region, Perth, Western Australia. Results revealed that PV performance, quantified by normalised maximum power output, varied with season. For a one-year period of study, over which the only cleaning activities were due to wind and rain, the performance of PV modules deployed in Perth, decreased at the end of summer and spring, tended to increase at the end of autumn and reached their peaks at the end of the winter season. Assuming the effect of dust on Pmax output is similar among the PV modules and is linear among the consecutive seasons, economic analysis indicated that the total cost of production losses of 13 polycristalline silicone PV modules caused by dust (A$ 5.47) is lower than total cleaning cost (A$ 78). Therefore, no cleaning procedure is recommended for the grid-connected PV system simulated in the case study.