Effect of Anti-Soiling Coating on Performance of Fresnel Lens for Concentrator Photovoltaic Module

Abstract

If the optical collector surfaces in concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems are soiled, a significant proportion of sunlight is scattered and definitively lost because the scattered rays cannot be focused onto the solar cell. In this study, we studied the influence of soiling on poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) substrates with and without super-hydrophilicity anti-soiling layer. After 5 months, the reduction rate of transmittance for the sample without anti-soiling coat was 7.1%. In contrast, that for the sample with anti-soiling coat could be suppressed to 4.2%. Moreover, the relationship between wind speed and accumulation of dust was discussed.