A Comprehensive Review of the Soiling Effects on PV Module Performance

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are a popular renewable energy source globally, owing to their beneficial environmental and economic properties. However, their efficiency is impacted by various environmental and weather conditions, including dust accumulation, which harms the performance of solar cells, particularly in hot and dry regions. Several researchers have studied how to clean and minimize dust on PV modules. This paper reviews recent studies on the effects of dust on PV systems and effective cleaning methods. Some locations experience power losses of over 1% each day and 80% monthly efficiency reduction due to dust, which is substantial. This paper delivers a thorough review of the issue of dust on PV modules. It analyzes previous research on how photovoltaic (PV) systems function when exposed to a mix of dust accumulation and other environmental factors. It also delves into the development of models to forecast dust accumulation. Furthermore, it examines various aspects of PV module design, including the frequency of cleaning methods, economic factors, and their advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, the study identifies several research gaps that require further exploration. These gaps include developing artificial intelligence-based models for reducing dust accumulation, dynamic optimization models for cleaning schedules, as well as advanced techniques for predicting dust accumulation, taking into account environmental conditions and ageing procedures. This information is essential for engineers, designers, and researchers who work on PV systems.