Identification of Soiling Properties for Different Minerals on Solar Mirrors via Artificial Soiling Setup

Abstract

In order to assess the performance of solar reflectors or photovoltaic modules over their lifetime, standardized accelerated aging tests are often being applied. They are especially tailored to meet the environmental conditions where the components are going to be exposed during their service life. Already a number of standards are developed which deal with e.g. temperature and air humidity cycles, application of various chemical agents and radiation stresses. However, those accelerated durability tests do not involve the effect of soiling. Because solar industry is progressively targeting arid areas for their projects where an augmented aerosol concentration is present, efficiency losses due to soiling are gaining more an more importance in current research. The reliable and accurate laboratory simulation of this phenomenon is one of the first steps for improving O&M processes and also achieve technological progress in the development of novel components or coating systems [1]. In this work a possible artificial soiling (AS) setup to conduct such experiments is presented, its applicability is verified by the comparison to an outdoor soiling exposure. Furthermore, the setup is used to gain an understanding of the soiling properties of different minerals.