The Application of Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma on the Cleaning of Photovoltaic Panels

Abstract

Plasma surface modification plays a significant role in the field of surface treatment, and the dielectric barrier discharge in air is an important method to generate plasma. With the widespread use of photovoltaic (PV) power generation, the impact of PV panel dust deposition had on power generation efficiency could not be ignored. The traditional method of cleaning PV panel is a waste of water and not environmental, which makes it urgent to find a simple and effective cleaning method. Based on the specific scene of PV generation and the structure of PV panel, a special uneven electrode was designed to discharge and generate plasma to treat the PV panel. Meanwhile, to treat the PV panel with stubborn dusts adhering on the surface for a long time, a method that discharges in wet condition was proposed. The simulation in wet condition confirms the enhancement of electric field strength and the experiment verified its treatment effect. The treatment on clean PV panels made it the property of preventing dust from adhering; the treatment in wet condition removed most of the dusts; eventually, the experiment under sunshine proved that the electrodes designed had little impacts on PV panels' generation.