The Effect of Dust on Solar PV System Energy OutputUnder Urban Climate of Surabaya, Indonesia

The amount of electricity produced by a PV system is directly affected by the level of solar irradiation incident to the PV panels. In the real operation, the dust from the surrounding environment falls and accumulates on PV panels. The accumulation of dust causes a decrease in the energy output of the PV system. This study was aimed to investigate the impact of dust on PV operation to its energy output under the urban climate of Surabaya, Indonesia. The study was conducted by comparing two identical PV panel systems, each of 300 Wp. For one system, the PV panels were manually cleaned regularly for the dust, while for another system is remained without any cleaning. Both systems were measured for its energy output, and the results are compared. The results showed that, during the dry season in Surabaya, the energy output from the cleaned PV panels system is higher by 20% in comparison with the uncleaned PV panels system. While, during the rainy season, both systems produce the same amount of energy. In total throughout the year, cleaning of PV panels system would increase the energy output of about 8%.