Effect of Moderate Wildfire Smoke Events on Photovoltaic Energy Production in Eastern Canada

Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season caused smoke pollution both domestically and internationally. The Wind Energy Institute of Canada’s PV array was in the path of this wildfire smoke, and hourly data was analysed from May to September of 2022 and 2023. Percentile data analysis techniques were adapted to include the clearness index to isolate the effects of clouds from potential changes to PV production. No conclusive effects on PV production were found from the moderate smoke events at the site. This work aims to expand investigation methods of wildfire smoke effects to include additional atmospheric phenomena.