Study on the Output Power Characteristics of Photovoltaic Modules under Different Sand Flow Velocities

In desert environments, the output power of photovoltaic (PV) modules is influenced by various factors. It is particularly important to investigate the impact of different wind speeds on the output power of PV modules in the northwestern regions of China, where solar resources are abundant and windblown sand is prevalent. By simulating the wind and sand erosion in a desert PV power plant using a wind tunnel, this study examines the effect of dust deposition on the output power of PV modules under different wind speeds (5 m/s, 10 m/s, and 15 m/s). The study reveals that the output power of the PV modules in the first three rows increases with the wind speed. However, the first row experiences the highest power loss rate, with a maximum value of 6.8%. The power loss rates for the second and third rows are relatively low at wind speeds of 5 m/s and 10 m/s, around 1%. At a wind speed of 15 m/s, the power loss rates for the second and third rows increase to approximately 2%. The power loss rate of the fourth row of the PV array generally shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, with the maximum power loss rate occurring at a wind speed of 10 m/s, reaching 2.13%. At a wind speed of 15 m/s, the maximum power loss rate is 1.79%, and at a wind speed of 5 m/s, the power loss rate is the lowest, at 0.71%.