A Review on Solar Panel Monitoring and Enhancing the Performance by Temperature and Dust Maintenance

Solar energy is one of the most extensively exploited natural resources. From the characteristics of the solar panel, it will give a maximum output when the panel is maintained at a fixed temperature. The increase in temperature beyond the fixed value and the deposition of dust on the solar panel decrease the output by a large percentage. To address this issue, an active cooling technique is employed. To monitor the performance of the solar panel, various sensors are used. The temperature of the panel is measured by using a temperature sensor and an LDR sensor to sense the dust. The current sensor is used to monitor the VI characteristics of the solar panel. The active cooling method uses water as the cooling agent to maintain the temperature and remove the dust particles. When the temperature goes beyond the limit, the pump motor turns ON to spray water over the solar panel at high pressure to cool the panel. Hence, the temperature maintenance and the dust cleaning are done simultaneously, which in turn increases the efficiency and lifetime of the panel.