Photo: News Times
The upper limits to solar energy generation are constantly being pushed by research scientists around the world. What is not argued is that solar energy efficiency drops dramatically when the solar panel is blocked from the penetrating sun rays which generate energy. The energy that eventually offsets our demand on the local infrastructure grid.
Some solar cells (i.e., panels) are claimed to be 'self-cleaning' while older models just tend to let dust and dirt collect while their efficiency drops in response to the layer grown on the surface.
If a solar panel surface becomes dirty then no sun rays can pass through to generate energy!
Under normal operating conditions with seasonal variations, dirt and dust might accumulate temporarily only to be washed away by rain or wind throughout the year. Or, an owner can have the solar panels cleaned periodically to ensure that the panels are achieving the maximum energy efficiency (i.e., energy generation) possible. That requires preventative maintenance costs - money.
During the unprecedented fire seasons which states like California and Oregon along with Washington are experiencing, the problem could be exacerbated. The problem of coating the surface of the solar panel is increased with the generation of fire smoke. Smoke contains small particulate matter of the size 2.5 micron (2.5 x 10^-6 meters or 2.5/1,000,000 meters).
Particles of this size can get lodged into the lungs of humans and animals to cause breathing problems. If a person is exposed to particles of this size for extended periods of time, health problems such as developing COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) can occur within the lungs of otherwise healthy humans.
A diagram from the website 'smart filters' shows the range of size of particulate matter on different size scales below:
Photo: Smart Filters
Commercial filters can handle 2.5 micron particulate matter more easily than smaller diameter such as 0.3 micron particulate matter. At such small filter pore size, air flow restriction becomes a real problem.
A perfect example is with citizens complaining about wearing masks (such as N95) for preventing the spread of COVID-19 at the moment. Exercise is pretty difficult using such a filter mask since the airflow restriction will scale with the pore size. Smaller pore size, more filtering, less airflow.
Coating the Surface of Solar Panels
Back to the discussion of solar panels and efficiency. As discussed, the air contains many sizes of particles on a daily basis. Some of which can be filtered out and some that cannot very easily. Although, air passing over a house has no filter. Add into the mix a fire and the particulate matter increases in concentration. In order to clear the air (i.e., filter) large filters would be needed.
The take-home message for the post is that there are two main parameters which can drastically impact the efficiency of solar panels:
1) Breakdown of the solar panel material - internal breakdown of solar energy generating material.
2) Blocking/reducing access to light to generate energy: particulate matter (and dirt/dust) can block out completely or partially sun spectrum which can greatly reduce the efficiency of the solar panels.
The fires have ravaged the West so far. One take home thought can be to think about preventative maintenance on solar panels into the future. An additional benefit of thinking about parameters impacting the efficiency of a solar panel might just contribute to a person's long term health. Think about the particulate matter in the air.
If the particulate matter in the air is dangerous for blocking the efficiency of a solar panel, what will happen to the surface of your lungs? Wear a mask if you must go outdoors.
Related Blog Posts:
Bill Nye Educates Fox News Anchor Tucker Carlson on Wearing Masks and Science in Government
Why Don't People Wear Masks In Public?
No comments:
Post a Comment