Physicochemical characterization of soiling from photovoltaic facilities in arid locations in the Atacama Desert.

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Title: Physicochemical characterization of soiling from photovoltaic facilities in arid locations in the Atacama Desert.
Authors: Ferrada, Pablo1 pablo.ferrada@uantof.cl, Olivares, Douglas1, del Campo, Valeria1, Marzo, Aitor1, Araya, Francisco1, Cabrera, Enrique1, Llanos, Jaime1, Correa-Puerta, Jonathan1, Portillo, Carlos1, Román Silva, Domingo1, Trigo-Gonzalez, Mauricio1, Alonso-Montesinos, Joaquín1, López, Gabriel1, Polo, Jesús1, Batlles, Francisco Javier1, Fuentealba, Edward1
Source: Solar Energy. Jul2019, Vol. 187, p47-56. 10p.
Subjects: Photovoltaic power systems, Dust, Surfaces (Physics), X-ray diffraction, Particle size distribution, Quartz
Abstract: • Ground and deposited dust on PV modules was analyzed for 4 sites in Atacama Desert. • Deposited material is in the diameter range 1–60 µm, with peak frequency in 1–10 µm. • A particle shape factor close to 1 had the largest frequency for all sites (40–70%). • Dust from module surface and ground was analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction. • The main components of dust were quarzt, albite, anorthite and orthoclase. Soiling is an issue that impacts the performance of photovoltaic (PV) technologies as it attenuates the amount of solar resource reaching the solar cells. The chemical composition of the soil is essential to define cleaning strategies of photovoltaic companies. This paper reports the characterization of the chemical and physical properties of the soiling deposited on photovoltaic modules located in the Atacama Desert. The particle size, shape and chemical composition of dust were studied at 4 different locations (denoted as L1 to L4) with samples taken from the ground and the module surface. It was found that, most deposited material exhibits a diameter between 1 µm and 60 µm. The determination of the particle shape factor shows that smaller particles tend to have a circular appearance, while larger particles exhibit a prismatic form. These small particles show a shape factor close to 1 and occur at the 4 locations with the greatest frequency, 40–70%. The mineral species in both the deposited and ground dust, which were identified by means of X-ray diffraction, were albite, anorthite, calcite, cristobalite, gypsum, halite, quartz, muscovite and orthoclase. The compounds occurring with the highest frequency in both the module and ground dust at all locations were quartz and anorthite. Differences between the locations were found. Calcite was found only at L3. Gypsum was not detected at L1 and L3 but was present in L2 and L4. Similarly, cristobalite was found only at L1 and L3, halite was found at L2 and L3, and muscovite was found at L1 and L2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Solar Energy is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Physicochemical characterization of soiling from photovoltaic facilities in arid locations in the Atacama Desert.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ferrada%2C+Pablo%22">Ferrada, Pablo</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> pablo.ferrada@uantof.cl</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Olivares%2C+Douglas%22">Olivares, Douglas</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22del+Campo%2C+Valeria%22">del Campo, Valeria</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Marzo%2C+Aitor%22">Marzo, Aitor</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Araya%2C+Francisco%22">Araya, Francisco</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cabrera%2C+Enrique%22">Cabrera, Enrique</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Llanos%2C+Jaime%22">Llanos, Jaime</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Correa-Puerta%2C+Jonathan%22">Correa-Puerta, Jonathan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Portillo%2C+Carlos%22">Portillo, Carlos</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Román+Silva%2C+Domingo%22">Román Silva, Domingo</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Trigo-Gonzalez%2C+Mauricio%22">Trigo-Gonzalez, Mauricio</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alonso-Montesinos%2C+Joaquín%22">Alonso-Montesinos, Joaquín</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22López%2C+Gabriel%22">López, Gabriel</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Polo%2C+Jesús%22">Polo, Jesús</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Batlles%2C+Francisco+Javier%22">Batlles, Francisco Javier</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fuentealba%2C+Edward%22">Fuentealba, Edward</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Solar+Energy%22">Solar Energy</searchLink>. Jul2019, Vol. 187, p47-56. 10p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Photovoltaic+power+systems%22">Photovoltaic power systems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Dust%22">Dust</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Surfaces+%28Physics%29%22">Surfaces (Physics)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22X-ray+diffraction%22">X-ray diffraction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Particle+size+distribution%22">Particle size distribution</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Quartz%22">Quartz</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: • Ground and deposited dust on PV modules was analyzed for 4 sites in Atacama Desert. • Deposited material is in the diameter range 1–60 µm, with peak frequency in 1–10 µm. • A particle shape factor close to 1 had the largest frequency for all sites (40–70%). • Dust from module surface and ground was analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction. • The main components of dust were quarzt, albite, anorthite and orthoclase. Soiling is an issue that impacts the performance of photovoltaic (PV) technologies as it attenuates the amount of solar resource reaching the solar cells. The chemical composition of the soil is essential to define cleaning strategies of photovoltaic companies. This paper reports the characterization of the chemical and physical properties of the soiling deposited on photovoltaic modules located in the Atacama Desert. The particle size, shape and chemical composition of dust were studied at 4 different locations (denoted as L1 to L4) with samples taken from the ground and the module surface. It was found that, most deposited material exhibits a diameter between 1 µm and 60 µm. The determination of the particle shape factor shows that smaller particles tend to have a circular appearance, while larger particles exhibit a prismatic form. These small particles show a shape factor close to 1 and occur at the 4 locations with the greatest frequency, 40–70%. The mineral species in both the deposited and ground dust, which were identified by means of X-ray diffraction, were albite, anorthite, calcite, cristobalite, gypsum, halite, quartz, muscovite and orthoclase. The compounds occurring with the highest frequency in both the module and ground dust at all locations were quartz and anorthite. Differences between the locations were found. Calcite was found only at L3. Gypsum was not detected at L1 and L3 but was present in L2 and L4. Similarly, cristobalite was found only at L1 and L3, halite was found at L2 and L3, and muscovite was found at L1 and L2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Solar Energy is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1016/j.solener.2019.05.034
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 10
        StartPage: 47
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Photovoltaic power systems
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Dust
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      – SubjectFull: Surfaces (Physics)
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      – SubjectFull: X-ray diffraction
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      – SubjectFull: Particle size distribution
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      – SubjectFull: Quartz
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      – TitleFull: Physicochemical characterization of soiling from photovoltaic facilities in arid locations in the Atacama Desert.
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