Developing Simulations for Early Fault Detection in PV Systems

The accumulation of dust on photovoltaic (PV) systems and shading can affect a module’s performance by reducing the amount of energy it can produce and triggering hotspots that can cause damage. This project was conducted to better anticipate and identify when shading or non-uniform dust settlements on PV modules may result in a damaged system as it is hard to detect when the modules are in operation. The system developed for this project successfully simulated the PV module’s performance under the influence of shading factors caused by dust as well as traditional shading caused by trees or buildings. It also showed at which tilt angles the PV modules would be most affected and under which conditions localized heating would be the most damaging.