Modeling and Analysis Framework for Investigating the Impact of Dust and Temperature on PV Systems’ Performance and Optimum Cleaning Frequency

• Main Authors: Wael Al-Kouz, Sameer Al-Dahidi, Bashar Hammad, Mohammad Al-Abed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: photovoltaic systems; ambient temperature; dust effect; artificial neural network; extreme learning machine; optimal cleaning frequency
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/7/1397

This paper proposes computational models to investigate the effects of dust and ambient temperature on the performance of a photovoltaic system built at the Hashemite University, Jordan. The system is connected on-grid with an azimuth angle of 0° and a tilt angle of 26°. The models have been developed employing optimized architectures of artificial neural network (ANN) and extreme learning machine (ELM) models to estimate conversion efficiency based on experimental data. The methodology of building the models is demonstrated and validated for its accuracy using different metrics. The effect of each parameter was found to be in agreement with the well-known relationship between each parameter and the predicted efficiency. It is found that the optimized ELM model predicts conversion efficiency with the best accuracy, yielding an R² of 91.4%. Moreover, a recommendation for cleaning frequency of every two weeks is proposed. Finally, different scenarios of electricity tariffs with their sensitivity analyses are illustrated.