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Project InDust: User Workshop on the effects of soiling for solar thermal power plants and PV plants

At the Intersolar Europe exhibition in Munich (Germany), DLR has organized a user workshop on "The Effect on Soiling on Solar Energy" on May 16th 2019. Representatives of companies and research institutions used the workshop to exchange their knowledge on current projects and results from research and development.

The participants came from the companies TÜV Rheinland, Alteso, Atonometrics, Suntrace and Kipp&Zonen; besides DLR from the research institutions Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems and the spanish University Jaén.

Mirror samples in southern Spain: Researchers of DLR test here for example which coating protects best against soiling. Picture: DLR (CC-Bye 3.0)	Two PV-Modules with different degrees of soiling. Picture: DLR (CC-By 3.0)

The workshop focused on the following topics:

• Microstructural investigations of soiling processes
• Soiling measurement instruments for concentrating solar power and photovoltaics
• Site- and time dependent soiling data sets
• Soiling modeling and the generation of soiling maps and forecasts
• The impact of soiling on plant energy yield and
• Cleaning optimization strategies. 

Subsequent to the presentations participants and speakers exchanged their views on soiling effects in solar thermal and photovoltaic power plants as well as on required future dust and soiling products. Further information on the InDust project as well as free access on the workshop presentations can be found on the website of the InDust project: https://cost-indust.eu/

The organisers of the workshop like to thank the international network COST action inDust (International Network to Encourage the Use of Monitoring and Forecasting Dust Products), and the responsible members of the H2020 projects SOLWATT and WASCOP, which funded the workshop.