Comprehensive assessment of dust accumulation patterns and their effects on photovoltaic plants in semi-arid environments

Numerous photovoltaic plants have been established in semi-arid regions to harness the abundant sunlight available for solar energy adaptation. However, the electrical performance of these installations is adversely affected by two critical ecological factors: high temperatures and dust accumulation. This study evaluates the impact of dust from five cities in Oman—Buraimi, Ibri, Nizwa, Saham, and Samail—on PV performance. Dust samples were collected and uniformly applied at different densities (12.24 g/m 2 , 24.4 g/m 2 , and 48.97 g/m 2 ) to a single PV panel at a hybrid testing station near Sultan Qaboos University. Electrical parameters such as power output, voltage, and current were measured. Additional dust characterization was performed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to determine chemical composition and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze particle size and morphology. Ibri exhibited the largest drop in efficiency (6.727 %), followed by Nizwa (5.576 %), Saham (5.315 %), and Buraimi (3.441 %), while Samail showed the lowest impact (2.04 %). Iron oxide and silicon dioxide were found to be the dominant components, with iron oxide contributing to light scattering losses due to its higher refractive index. The results confirm that dust buildup significantly reduces PV efficiency, depending on particle density, composition, and morphology.