Polymer with silicon dioxide coating on solar photovoltaic for enhancement of power output performance – Experimental study

The present study investigates the incorporation of silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix to develop a nanocomposite coating for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, with the objective of enhancing their performance and overall efficiency. The PDMS/SiO 2 nanocomposite coating was synthesized using a solution-based dispersion method and subsequently applied to the surface of the PV panels. In addition, the electrical characteristics of the PV panels, which represent a nonlinear optimization problem, were analyzed using a highly accurate computational approach. The 5 parameters of the single-diode PV model were identified from experimental data using the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. Three identical solar PV panels were employed in the experimental investigation. The first panel was coated with a superhydrophobic PDMS/SiO 2 nanocomposite coating to impart self-cleaning properties. The second panel remained uncoated and was manually cleaned on a daily basis, whereas the third panel was left uncoated and exposed to natural dust accumulation throughout the experimental period, serving as the reference panel. The electrical power output of each PV panel was measured and compared under identical environmental conditions. Furthermore, the anti-soiling, dust-adhesion reduction, and anti-reflective properties of the PDMS/SiO 2 coating were experimentally evaluated. The results demonstrated that the incorporation of the PDMS/SiO 2 nanocomposite coating significantly enhanced PV panel performance. Compared with the dusty reference panel and the manually cleaned uncoated panel, the coated PV panel exhibited overall performance improvements of approximately 16% and 7%, respectively. These findings confirm the effectiveness of the PDMS/SiO 2 nanocomposite coating in improving PV performance and reducing dust-related losses under outdoor operating conditions.