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Impact of dust and other environmental factors on glass transmittance in warm and humid climatic zone

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Abstract

Dust is one of the major environmental factors which affect the transmittance of glazing systems. Different studies reported the effect of dust on the performances of solar devices using glass covers under different weather conditions. The present study is directed towards the transmittance characterization of glass under exposure to solar radiation in warm and humid climate. The study was conducted for an exposure period of 75 days in Kolkata, India, for four different tilt angles of glass at 0°, 30°, 60° and 90°. The measurements were taken in tilted positions in a plane, beneath the glass surfaces and parallel to it so that the effect of dust accumulation on glass transmittance can be quantified at the installed orientations. It was observed that the transmittance reduction was highest for the glass inclined at 0° and lowest for the one inclined at 90°. It was also noticed that the quantity of water stains formed due to rain varied across the glass surfaces. This, therefore, resulted in different transmittances for different tilt angles. The dirt correction factors for glasses inclined at different angles for different exposure periods were also determined.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India, for providing financial assistance for carrying out the research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, 700032, India

    Amrita Ghosh & Subhasis Neogi

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  1. Amrita Ghosh
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  2. Subhasis Neogi
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Correspondence to Amrita Ghosh.

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Ghosh, A., Neogi, S. Impact of dust and other environmental factors on glass transmittance in warm and humid climatic zone. Clean Techn Environ Policy 19, 1215–1221 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-016-1302-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-016-1302-0

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