New lab tool accelerates simulation of long-term PV soiling effects

Researchers from Tezpur University, JIST (India), and Sapienza University of Rome (Italy) have developed and validated an indoor soiling chamber to simulate dust-related efficiency losses in photovoltaic modules. The chamber has been designed to replicate real-world soiling using environmental parameters such as rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and particulate matter concentration. As per the research team, validation was performed by comparing indoor-tested modules with those deployed outdoors at two locations for one year. The chamber achieved a mean dust density of 2.367 g/m² with only 0.002 g/m² deviation and maintained a variation of 0.08 g/m² from outdoor-tested modules. Dust samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy to identify elemental composition and deposition behavior. The chamber is now enabling time-efficient simulation of long-term soiling patterns and supports accurate PV performance evaluation across varied geographical conditions.