The Effect of Dust Storm on the Performance of Photovoltaic Panel at Different Tilt Angles

One of the main problems in using solar panels is dust which reduces their efficiency. In the present paper, the effect of dust and the angle of installation of the photovoltaic panel on its performance loss in the city of Ilam have been investigated. The experiments were performed using two similar panels in the spring by considering different amounts of dust from 0 to 236.94 g/m2. Voltage, current, and power losses were calculated and the effects of dust and panel angle on them were investigated in a multi-factor experiment based on a completely randomized design. The effect of dust on voltage, current, and power loss was significant at 1% probability level, and their losses increased with an increase in the amount of dust. The lowest performance loss was related to voltage which varied between 1.53% at an angle of 4.8° and the amount of dust at 236.94 g/m2 and 7.84 % at an angle of 26.1° and the amount of dust at 72.28 g/m2. The output current has a greater loss than the voltage, and its highest value (87.19%) was observed in the panel at the angle of 26.1° and the amount of dust at 236.94 g/m2and its lowest value (24.8%) at the angle of 26.1°and the amount of dust at 42.85 g/m2. The highest power loss (87.5%) was related to the angle of 26.1°and the amount of dust at 236.94 g/m2, and the lowest loss (26.5%) was related to the angle of 26.1° and the amount of dust at 42.85 g/m2. It was found that the angle determined based on the geographical location (26.1°) has a lower performance loss than the other angles and, therefore, is a more suitable angle for generating electrical energy in the event of dust.