Improving solar PV performance under bird-dropping conditions with a dual-cooling approach

Abstract

Abstract The degradation performance of solar photovoltaic (SPV) panels, is a critical issue for its adoption. The current study introduces a novel dual-cooling technique to enhance the performance of the SPV panels under conditions of contamination from bird droppings. The front and backside temperatures, output power, and efficiency of the cooled SPV panels were evaluated and compared. Results showed that the cooling process reduced the front and backside temperatures by 24–47% and 34–48% respectively, compared to contaminated SPV panels. The cooled SPV module exhibited an output current increase of 8–9% and an output voltage increase of 7–9% compared to both contaminated and controlled modules. Consequently, output power for the cooled SPV module increased by 12–33% and 7–12% compared to bird droppings and controlled modules, respectively. Moreover, the overall efficiency of the SPV module dropped to 15% in the presence of bird droppings, compared to 20% with the cooling process was applied. These findings suggest significant potential benefits for large-scale SPV installations, enhancing performance and efficiency.