Dust Accumulation Analysis Data Should Help Cut Solar Power Energy Losses, Say Industry Specialists
PV plant operators are demanding more sophisticated dust accumulation analysis to inform construction and operations decisions and new research is linking weather models and predictive analysis to reduce downtime, leading industry experts said.
As the performance of PV plants continues to improve and operations and maintenance (O&M) practices become more important, soiling has become a key area of research to leverage further gains.
U.S. plant operators are increasing upfront O&M spending in the development phase in order to improve plant reliability and optimize predictive maintenance strategies.
Soiling data helps owners identify causes for lower output during certain times of the year and plan how often panels should be cleaned to limit energy losses.
Oregon Department of Transportation