Abstract

Photovoltaic solar energy (PV) is the technology for electric generation that shows the highest growth since 2002, experiencing an average annual increase of 48%. The prediction of the solar resource for a PV plant, connected to the grid, is necessary to ensure optimal capture and transformation of the available solar energy and reliable power production. In addition, the accumulation of dirt on the surface of photovoltaic modules has a significant impact on the production of a photovoltaic installation. This phenomenon is related to the angle of inclination of the panel and the meteorological conditions, such as the aerosols present in the atmosphere, relative humidity, ambient temperature, pressure, etc. The fundamental objective of the present project is to develop an experimental PV plant to characterise the losses per soiling with the aim to predict in the short term, from one to three hours, the production of a photovoltaic plant.