Dust mitigation strategies concerning solar energy applications: A comprehensive review

This review offers a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the dust soiling research, including critical observations on dust soiling effects and dust removal techniques for solar energy harvesting applications. The efficiency of a solar energy harvesting system is highly dependent on the incident solar radiation that reaches the active surfaces. Optical characteristics of the protective layer of solar panels, including high transmittance and low absorption, are crucial for efficient solar energy harvesting. Environmental dust reduces the optical transmittance of such surfaces, consequently lowering the device's performance. Therefore, the removal of dust particles becomes critical for efficient energy production. Dust-removal technologies mainly involve natural processes, electrostatic, mechanical, and self-cleaning surface Nano-films. Some of the adopted cleaning techniques require expensive external power, such as pumping/compression, due to the high repelling forces needed to remove such particles. This review evaluates and compares the existing dust removal strategies while focusing on the environmental, technical, and economic perspectives. The findings presented in this study remain crucial toward enlightening the PV scientific world regarding the soiling impact on solar energy harvesting and dust mitigation strategies to maintain high-performance solar PV operations.