Abstract
Soiling in solar power generation will be a significant obstacle to its growth if a water free method cannot be found. Demand for water in arid regions will increase as more solar power generation is built, requiring more water to clean the optical surface, in turn increasing the price of water. This will lead to increased operating costs for solar power generation, and potentially disputes in locations where water is scarce. The electrodynamic screen (EDS) can reduce soiling and contribute to restoring the optical surface without the use of water. Periodic cleaning will still be required, but at reduced frequency, leading to a significant reduction in the consumption of water. In this model, it was found that a 250 MW concentrated solar power plant would have a 74% reduction in water given current laboratory production uncertainties. This indicates that EDS technology could decrease both the operating cost and the water use for solar generation plants.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
T. Sarver, A. Al-Qaraghuli, L.. Kazmerski,. “A comprehensive review of the impact of dust on the use of solar energy: History, investigations, results, literature, and mitigation approaches”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 22 (2013) 698–733
N. Bracken, et al., “Concentrating Solar Power and Water Issues in the U.S. Southwest”, Technical Report NREL/TP-6A50-61376, March 2015, The Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis, https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy15osti/61376.pdf
R. Jones, A. Baras, A. Al Saeeri, A. Al Qahtani, A. Al Amoudi, Y Al Shaya, M. Alodan, S. Al-Hsaien, “Optimized Cleaning Cost and Schedule Based on Observed Soiling Conditions for Photovoltaic Plants in Central Saudi Arabia”, IEEE Journal Of Photovoltaics, Vol. 6, No. 3, May 2016
Sayyah, D. Crowell, A. Raychowdhury, M. Horenstein, M. Mazumder, “An experimental study on the characterization of electric charge in electrostatic dust removal”, Journal of Electrostatics, Volume 87, June 2017, Pages 173–179.
Mazumder, et al., Mitigation of Dust Impact on Solar Collectors by Water-Free Cleaning with Transparent Electrodynamic Films: Progress and Challenges, IEEE Journal Of Photovoltaics, Vol. 7, No. 5, September 2017
N. Joglekar, E. Guzelsu, M. Mazumder, A. Botts, C. Ho (2014). “A Levelized Cost Metric for EDS-Based Cleaning of Mirrors in CSP Power Plants” ASME -8th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Boston, MA.
S. Alqatari, A. Alfaris, and O. L. de Weck, “Cost and performance comparative model of dust mitigation technologies for solar PV in Saudi Arabia, Journal of Environmental Science, http://environment.scientific-journal.com /articles/4/17.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Eriksen, R., Turkoglu, A., Bernard, A. et al. Water and Cost Reduction from the Application of EDS to Facilitate Water Free Cleaning in Concentrated Solar Power. MRS Advances 3, 1405–1410 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1557/adv.2018.338
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/adv.2018.338