Numerical Investigation of Time-Dependent Dust Shading Effects on Fixed and Tracking Solar Photovoltaic Arrays
Document Type : Research Article
Authors
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Africa, Science Campus, Florida 1710, South Africa
10.22059/jser.2026.410193.1709
Abstract
The global expansion of solar energy has been met with dust soiling which is a critical performance-limiting factor, especially in dusty climates. The present study proposed a dynamic numerical approach for quantifying the time-dependent effects of dust shading on fixed-tilt, single-axis tracking, and dual-axis tracking PV systems. The approach was to distinguish between direct and diffuse irradiance and account for diurnal and seasonal solar geometry while incorporating angular-dependent shading dynamics. Single-axis and dual-axis trackers achieved daily yields of 5.02 kWh/day and 5.16 kWh/day respectively under a surface-soiling fraction of 32.7% determined from binary image segmentation and pixel-area ratio surpassing the clean fixed-tilt baseline of 4.41 kWh/day. A laboratory validation was used to confirm the ability of model to capture angular-dependent losses. A techno-economic analysis done revealed a trade-off where tracking systems maximise the absolute energy generated. However, fixed-tilt systems delivered superior cost-effectiveness due to lower capital and maintenance requirements. The results revealed the need for a dynamic, time-resolved model to improve optimisation and performance prediction, and guide maintenance strategies in soiling-prone environments.
Keywords
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