Abstract
This work is a first part of the study in development on the mapping of soiling losses in the region of Rabat-Sale-Kenitra in Morocco. To perform the work, two holders of glass samples have been constructed and installed in two different sites of Sale City for three successive periods (from April to June 2019). At the end of each period, the transmittance losses of the glass samples as well as the mass of deposited soils are systematically measured. SEM (scanning electronic microscopy) analyses are also performed for more investigation and deep understanding. The obtained results show that the relationship between soil mass density and glass transmittance loss is not always linear as could be expected. They also show that soiling losses are strongly depending on the environment and nature of the surrounding installation spaces. The SEM analysis results of the 1st period and the inclined surfaces have shown that particles are greater in the range of 2–11 μm and the majority tends to have a regular shape in the two sites. Nevertheless, the frequencies are different. From this study, it can be concluded that it is highly recommended characterizing the site where soiling measurements are conducted not only by its location/city but also by its environment characteristics.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are thanking Miss. Dounia Dahlioui as well as their institutional and industrial partners for their valuable contributions.
Funding
This work is supported by the Moroccan Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research as well as the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) in the framework of the Research Excellence Scholarship Program and Priority Research Project PPR1 Nr. 14/216. It is also supported by the Moroccan Research Institute in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) in the framework of SOLEIL Inno-PV project.
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El Baqqal, Y., Laarabi, B., Dahrouch, A. et al. Assessment of soiling effect on PV module glass transmittance in Moroccan capital region. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 44510–44518 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10332-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10332-y