The Cleaning Effect of Photovoltaic Modules According to Precipitation in the Operation Stage of a Large-Scale Solar Power Plant

Abstract

A large-scale solar power plant costs a lot of money in the early stage of development and is greatly affected by the natural environment. Therefore, efficient operation is very important. The purpose of this study is to analyze the cleaning effect of photovoltaic modules according to precipitation during the operation stage of a large-scale solar power plant. The first analysis compared ‘average power generation on sunny days under standard cloudiness from after precipitation to the next precipitation’ and ‘average daily power generation per quarter’ and confirmed that precipitation had an effect on increasing power generation by 26%. The second analysis compared ‘average power generation on sunny days under the standard cloudiness from after precipitation to the next precipitation’ and ‘average daily power generation on a clear day just before precipitation’. It was confirmed that the average power generation efficiency of the entire sample increased by 4.8% on average after precipitation than before precipitation. This study quantitatively analyzed the cleaning effect of photovoltaic modules by precipitation through actual power generation data of large-scale solar power plants. This study has sufficient value in establishing an operation manual for decision-making on the appropriate input cost for cleaning photovoltaic modules and improvement of power generation efficiency.

Keywords

• precipitation
• photovoltaic module
• cleaning effect
• large-scale solar power plant