Correlation between climate and atmospheric conditions with efficiency of solar panels in the city of Sorocaba-SP

• Grant number: 14/17127-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: September 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Cesar Germano Martins
• Grantee: Everton Luis de Souza Brito Marcon
• Host Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental de Sorocaba. Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Population growth has led to a considerable increase in energy demand. Considering that energy availability is directly linked to quality of life, it is important that the installed power generation systems can deliver the necessary amount. Considering sunlight use for electricity generation, efficiency is a function of the flow of incident light and the material used in the cell. Several recent studies have shown that atmospheric, climatic and geographical issues have a major impact on the flow of incident light into the cells. Among the atmospheric issues, the presence of dust can cause greater loss of efficiency in power generation. Due to the low amount of rain in certain periods of the year and high relative humidity of the air , dust particles stay on the surfaces of the panels, decreasing the amount of incident light available for electricity generation. Furthermore, the presence of birds in the region where a panel is installed can reduce generation efficiency due to the possibility that bird drops fall on the panel surface, creating regions of low or no conversion. In a study conducted recently with solar panels in the city of Brighton in the UK, it was shown that there is considerable discrepancy between the actual and expected output values for a PV system due to a lack of knowledge of atmospheric, climatic and geographical conditions of the regions where collectors are installed. Thus, this research project aims to survey the correlation between the efficiency of a solar panel and the following variables that characterize the climate and weather in the city of Sorocaba: temperature, radiation, humidity, rainfall and amount of deposited dust. Moreover, it will also be studied the correlation between power generation and the conditions of panel surfaces.