Summary: | Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels performance is influenced by various external factors such as precipitation, wind angle, ambient temperature, wind speed, transient irradiation, and soil deposition. Soiling accumulation on panels poses a significant challenge to PV power generation. This paper presents the development of an artificial neural network (ANN)-based soil deposition prediction model for PV systems. Conducted at a Malaysian solar farm over three months, the research utilized power output data from the inverter as model output and meteorological data as input variables. The model employed the Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation method with Tansig and Purline activation functions. Performance assessment via statistical comparison of experimental and simulated results revealed a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.68073 for the ANN architecture of 5 input layers, 30 hidden layers, and 1 output layer (5-30-1). Sensitivity analysis highlighted relative humidity and wind direction as the most influential parameters affecting PV soiling rate. The developed ANN model, combined with sensitivity analysis, serves as a robust foundation for enhancing the efficiency of smart sensors in PV module cleaning systems. © 2024, Intelektual Pustaka Media Utama. All rights reserved.
|