Examination of power loss and voltage drop of a solar panel as a function of environmental factors

This electronic document presents the voltage drop of a solar panel as a function of environmental factors. Voltage and power production of a solar panel depends heavily on the amount of irradiation which reaches the surface of the panel. The ideal output of a photovoltaic module is determined by many factors. Environmental factors directly affect the voltage and power production, pollutants on the surface, for example, can create shadow effect. Why is this important - one may ask. Energy production and efficiency of the photovoltaic module are experimentally investigated with different types of contaminations, such as dust, leaves or cement. Measurements are executed with different contaminated areas and different amounts of pollution. Power production and the type of contamination show a certain correlation. It is possible to determine how the voltage and power production drop depend on the surface contaminants.