Soiling loss in solar systems: A review of its effect on solar energy efficiency and mitigation techniques

To address the need for enhancing the efficiency and harnessing the full potential of solar energy systems, this research aims to investigate mitigating solar energy losses, thereby contributing to the global transition towards renewable energy. A major impediment to solar panel efficiency is soiling, a phenomenon that causes significant decline in performance. This review sheds light on the pronounced impact of soiling, particularly emphasizing the exacerbated effects in arid and semi-arid regions, where solar irradiance is abundant, and the untapped solar energy potential is immense. This review provides an extensive discussion on soiling by specifically building on the research gaps identified by previous reviews. The effect of soiling on the efficiency and the adoption of solar systems in conjunction with the state-of-the-art cleaning techniques that can help reduce or eliminate dirt deposition on the surface of solar panels were comprehensively discussed. This work establishes that incorporating advanced cleaning measures like electrodynamic screen into solar system design has huge potential to reduce soiling, but have high cost implications, potentially rendering these systems financially prohibitive for some individuals and contributing to the low rate of solar energy adoption. Therefore, there is a need to further research commercially viable and cost-effective solutions.