Experimental Investigations on the Effects of Dust Fouling on PV Module

Accumulation of environmental dust on PV module reduces the solar radiations. The results of this phenomenon are observed in terms of reduction in efficiency of PV module. Various types of dust samples at different weights have been considered for study, presented in this paper. For the investigations, the dust samples such as Badarpur-1, Badarpur-2, Fly Ash, and Rice Husk are taken. An artificial lightening source of radiation is designed to maintain the constant radiation levels for the experimental study. The investigation is carried out with all dust samples and it is observed that the Rice Husk dust sample has maximum impact on PV module performance among the considered dust samples.