Outdoor testing effect of sand on photovoltaic module in the Saharan region

In this paper, we present the results of analysis of sand effect on the performance of photovoltaic modules installed in the Saharan region in the southern part of Algeria. This study includes the representation of the current-voltage characteristic (I–V) of the modules by using a simple explicit model on Matlab/Simulink in order to visualize the effect. Thus, we present our results with experimental data obtained with outdoor testing of a PV module type UDTS 50. This study has been completed by carrying out the translation of the experimental characteristics to the standard conditions. This translation allowed the comparison between the performances of the tested modules. In the last part of this paper, we propose practical solutions to prevent the harmful effects of sand on the PV modules.