Parametric Optimization of an Unmanned Three-Phase Electrodynamic Dust Shield for Sustainable Photovoltaic Panel Operation for Dusty Environments and Space Applications

Dust mitigation in photovoltaic panels has been a growing technological challenge as an increasing number of large-scale solar cell installations are taking place in the desert environment and space to harness the abundant solar radiation effectively. The conventional methods of dust removal require a large quantity of water, complex mechanical instrumentation, enormous logistics, and manpower in the inhospitable and hostile desert environment. Many variants of electrodynamic dust shield (EDS) systems have been successfully tried for dust mitigation as this method involves low-cost installation and unmanned low-power operation. In this work, we present the design and fabrication of a locally made three-phase electrodynamic dust repulsion system. The dust removal efficiency of the EDS system was optimized for the electrode geometry and the electrical parameters like AC source voltage and frequency. The dust removal efficiency as high as 92 ± 1% was observed for an optimum combination of geometrical and electrical parameters of the EDS. The operation and the optimization of the EDS system were elucidated by analyzing various electrostatic and mechanical forces and the generation of traveling waves involved in this process. The EDS system was applied on the solar cell under natural sunlight to study the efficacy of the system in improving the photovoltaic performance of the solar cell in the dusty environment. As the dust characteristics play an essential role in the dust removal efficiency, the morphological and elemental characterizations and dust particle size analysis of dust from a natural sandstorm were also conducted.