Comparison of the effect of manual or rain cleaning on the photovoltaic generation of solar panels

Abstract

Since 2015, a pilot solar photovoltaic installation with 2.8 kW power has been located at the UTN San Francisco Regional Faculty. In 2022, a monitoring system was added that allows obtaining the irradiation received and the energy generated by the facility. Considering the characteristics of the installation location and the availability of data, the effect of cleaning solar panels on energy generation was studied. For cases of manual and natural cleaning due to rain, correlation analysis between power and irradiation, energy and irradiation accounting and comparison of specific cases were carried out. It was concluded that manual cleaning has a greater influence than rain cleaning. It is also relevant to monitor photovoltaic solar installations in order to obtain greater energy production. For this work, the interaction between teachers, students and graduates of the faculty was important.