Effects of cleaning interval of PV module and pyranometer on PV system performances in tropical climate of Indonesia

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) cleaning is crucial to maintain optimal Performance Ratio (PR) in PV systems. PR is a key metric for acceptance tests and operations. This research evaluates four PV modules with different cleaning intervals (1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and no clean) and analyzes PR calculations with variations of pyranometers cleaned and not cleaned in Indonesian climate conditions. Results showed that weekly cleaning minimized output degradation by 1.58 % compared to no cleaning, which led to a 2.37 % decrease. Bird droppings increased PV temperature by 10.2 °C. Accurate PR measurement requires cleaning both PV modules and pyranometers.

Keywords

• Photovoltaic cleaning
• Soiling
• Performance ratio
• Pyranometer
• Tropical climate