journal article·2020-07-09Open access

Influence of Pollen on Solar Photovoltaic Energy: Literature Review and Experimental Testing with Pollen

Carlos Sanz Saiz, Jesús Polo Martínez, Nuria Martín Chivelet

Applied Sciences· Volume 10· Issue 14

Abstract

This work attempts to shed some light on the impact of organic soiling due to pollen on solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation. Apart from introducing several soiling-related pollen features, the previous works reporting soiling by pollen have been reviewed. Local observations from late winter to early spring showed that a rooftop PV system experienced both uniform and non-uniform soiling issues, which were mainly caused by pollen from nearby cypress specimens. In addition, this work publishes preliminary results regarding an artificial soiling test performed with pollen. In this test, soda lime float glass coupons were artificially soiled with fresh cypress pollen. A linear relationship was found between the pollen mass density (ρA) and the glass averaged transmittance (TAVE) for values up to 9.1 g/m2. In comparison with other artificial soiling tests performed with different soiling agents, the transmittance loss caused by pollen cypress deposition was relatively high and spectrally selective.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Tree Root and Stability Studies · Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior · Photovoltaic Systems and Sustainability

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT), Avda. Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Funding

Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad · European Regional Development Fund

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