Evaluating the Impact of Soiling on Agrivoltaic Systems

This study investigates the impact of soiling on the performance of agrivoltaic systems (AVS) through transmission measurements of glass plates exposed in four AVS, next to the actual PV modules. The research quantifies light transmission loss due to agricultural dust, soil, pesticide, and fertilizer residues, correlating these losses with solar spectrum intensity and solar cell response. Several AVS in Germany are analyzed to establish the relationship between soiling and energy output, as well as its effect on light availability for plants. Preliminary results indicate a significant light transmission reduction of up to ~40 %, depending on the kind of agricultural activity and installation type, with the highest losses observed above hop fields. In contrast, a vertical installation with winter wheat shows minimal soiling losses. This research contributes to the agrivoltaics field by addressing challenges of the unique environments in AVS, providing a practical method for analyzing soiling and a first empirical dataset for estimating the effects on electricity yield.