FRONT-SURFACE SOILING MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES
Every year, significant investments are directed to research institutes and other organizations around the world that are engaged in improving the efficiency of solar cells. The decrease in the efficiency of photovoltaic modules is largely caused by surface contamination and depends significantly on...
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Institute of Renewable Energy National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
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Репозитарії
Vidnovluvana energetika| _version_ | 1871104051387564032 |
|---|---|
| author | Tukfatullin , O. Butunbaev , B. Otaboev, S. |
| author_facet | Tukfatullin , O. Butunbaev , B. Otaboev, S. |
| author_institution_txt_mv | [
{
"author": "O. Tukfatullin ",
"institution": "Scientific Institute of Semiconductor Physics and Microelectronics at the NUUz, Tashkent, Uzbekistan"
},
{
"author": "B. Butunbaev ",
"institution": "S. A. Azimov Physical-Technical Institute of Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, Tashkent, Uzbekistan"
},
{
"author": " S. Otaboev",
"institution": "Urgench State University named after Abu Rayhan Beruni, Urgench, Uzbekistan"
}
] |
| author_sort | Tukfatullin , O. |
| baseUrl_str | https://ve.org.ua/index.php/journal/oai |
| collection | OJS |
| datestamp_date | 2026-07-18T06:32:23Z |
| description | Every year, significant investments are directed to research institutes and other organizations around the world that are engaged in improving the efficiency of solar cells. The decrease in the efficiency of photovoltaic modules is largely caused by surface contamination and depends significantly on the re-gion where they are installed. In some locations, performance losses can be substantial. The construction of utility-scale PV plants requires vast land areas. Therefore, it is not advisable to build them in urban are-as or on agriculturally valuable lands. Utility-scale PV plants are usually built on unprofitable or barren lands such as semi-desert, desert areas, where access to water is limited. These are plots of land that are not in demand for agriculture or other constructions, but such regions are characterized by a large num-ber of sunny days a year. It takes a lot of water to clean the surfaces of the PV modules at the station. But in desert areas, the cost of water consumption can be equal to the price of fuel. To find a balance between the soiling losses in PV system and its surface cleaning costs, a device is required that monitors these pa-rameters and notifies when cleaning is needed – specifically, when energy losses outweigh the expenses. This paper describes a developed device for measuring soiling losses in PV module. The operating principle of the device is based on the phenomenon of diffuse light reflection from the surface of PV module. Exper-iments have proved that the developed device can be used to monitor the soiling losses in PV systems. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.36296/1819-8058.2025.4(83).189-194 |
| first_indexed | 2026-02-08T07:59:30Z |
| format | Article |
| fulltext |
189
Відновлювана енергетика. № 4/2025 | Сонячна енергетика
UDC 621.311.243:551.510.42 https://doi.org/10.36296/1819-8058.2025.4(83).189-194
FRONT-SURFACE SOILING MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES
Received Mar. 21, 2025; accepted Dec. 09, 2025
Available online Dec. 31, 2025
Tukfatullin O.1, Butunbaev B.2, Otaboev S.3
Author for correspondence: Butunbaev Bakhtiyor,
e-mail: baxtiyorbutunbayev@gmail.com
Abstract. Every year, significant investments are directed to re-
search institutes and other organizations around the world
that are engaged in improving the efficiency of solar cells. The
decrease in the efficiency of photovoltaic modules is largely
caused by surface contamination and depends significantly on
the re-gion where they are installed. In some locations, perfor-
mance losses can be substantial. The construction of utility-
scale PV plants requires vast land areas. Therefore, it is not ad-
visable to build them in urban are-as or on agriculturally valu-
able lands. Utility-scale PV plants are usually built on unprofitable or barren lands such as semi-desert, desert
areas, where access to water is limited. These are plots of land that are not in demand for agriculture or other
constructions, but such regions are characterized by a large num-ber of sunny days a year. It takes a lot of water
to clean the surfaces of the PV modules at the station. But in desert areas, the cost of water consumption can be
equal to the price of fuel. To find a balance between the soiling losses in PV system and its surface cleaning costs,
a device is required that monitors these pa-rameters and notifies when cleaning is needed – specifically, when
energy losses outweigh the expenses. This paper describes a developed device for measuring soiling losses in PV
module. The operating principle of the device is based on the phenomenon of diffuse light reflection from the
surface of PV module. Exper-iments have proved that the developed device can be used to monitor the soiling
losses in PV systems.
Keywords: photovoltaic systems, photovoltaic module contamination, soiling measurement, light source, reflec-
tion, solar simulator.
ПРИСТРІЙ ДЛЯ ВИМІРЮВАННЯ ЗАБРУДНЕННЯ ЛИЦЕВОЇ ПОВЕРХНІ
ФОТОВОЛЬТАЇЧНИХ МОДУЛІВ
Отримано 01 серп. 2025 р.; рекомендовано до публікації 09 груд. 2025 р.
Доступно онлайн 31 груд. 2025 р.
Тукфатуллін О.1, Бутунбаєв Б.2, Отабоєв С.3
Автор для кореспонденції: Бутунбаєв Бахтієр,
e-mail: baxtiyorbutunbayev@gmail.com
Анотація. Щороку значні інвестиції спрямовуються в на-
уково-дослідні інститути та інші організації по всьому
світу, які займаються підвищенням ефективності соняч-
них елементів. Зниження ефективності фотоелектрич-
них модулів (ФЕМ) значною мірою пов'язане із забруднен-
ням їхньої поверхні та залежить від регіону, в якому вони
встановлені. У деяких місцях втрати продуктивності
можуть бути суттєвими. Для будівництва великих фо-
тоелектричних станцій (ФЕС) потрібні значні земельні
ділянки. Тому недоцільно розміщувати їх у містах або на
1 PhD (Tech.), senior researcher
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6197-7884
2 PhD student
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6870-1949
3 Teacher
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7686-7587
1 Scientific Institute of Semiconductor Physics
and Microelectronics at the NUUz, Tashkent,
Uzbekistan
2 S. A. Azimov Physical-Technical Institute of
Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, Tashkent,
Uzbekistan
3 Urgench State University named after Abu
Rayhan Beruni, Urgench, Uzbekistan
1 PhD (техн. наук.), с.н.с.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6197-7884
2 аспірант
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6870-1949
3 викладач
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7686-7587
1 Науковий інститут фізики напівпровідників
і мікроелектроніки при НУУз, Ташкент,
Узбекистан
2 Фізико-технічний інститут ім. С. А. Азімова
Академії наук Узбекистану, Ташкент,
Узбекистан
3 Ургенчський державний університет імені
Абу Райхана Беруні, Ургенч, Узбекистан
190
Відновлювана енергетика. № 4/2025 | Сонячна енергетика
прибуткових сільськогосподарських угіддях. Зазвичай великі ФЕС будують на нерентабельних або непри-
датних для сільського господарства землях — таких як напівпустельні або пустельні регіони, де доступ
до води обмежений. Це території, які не використовуються для ведення сільського господарства або
будівництва. Такі регіони також характеризуються великою кількістю сонячних днів на рік. Для очи-
щення поверхонь фотогальванічних модулів на станції необхідна значна кількість технічної води. Однак
у посушливих регіонах вартість води може зрівнятися з ціною палива. Щоб знайти баланс між втра-
тою потужності ФЕС та витратами на очищення поверхні модулів, необхідним є пристрій, який здійс-
нюватиме моніторинг цих параметрів та сигналізуватиме про необхідність очищення, коли втрати
енергії перевищують витрати на обслуговування. У цій роботі описано розроблений пристрій для вимі-
рювання втрат потужності ФЕМ через забруднення їхньої лицьової поверхні. Принцип роботи при-
строю базується на явищі дифузного відбиття світла від поверхні модуля. Проведені експерименти
підтвердили, що розроблений пристрій цілком придатний для моніторингу забруднення ФЕС.
Ключові слова: фотоелектричні системи, забруднення поверхні модулів, вимірювання забруднення,
джерело світла, відбиття, симулятор сонячного світла.
List of abbreviations and symbols used:
PV – photovoltaic
VAC - volt ampere characteristic
LED - light emitting diode
USB - universal serial bus
Introduction. The accumulation of contaminants on the
front surface of photovoltaic modules reduces the solar ir-
radiance incident on the solar cells, thereby diminishing the
overall electricity output of solar power plants [1–5]. In this
regard, it becomes necessary to determine the effect of
surface contamination on the power generation by PV
module. To clean the frontal surface of PV modules from
contaminants, a special maintenance is required, which
leads to additional time and financial costs. In recent years,
there has been a significant increase in both the implemen-
tation of devices that monitor soiling-related losses and the
elaboration of various methods for their direct use in PV
systems [6–11].
A traditional method for determining energy losses associ-
ated with PV modules contamination is well-known. It is
based on comparing the values of short-circuit currents of
two identical reference modules located next to PV station
modules with the same tilt angles. One of the reference PV
modules is periodically cleaned, and the other is in a dirty
state, as are the PV station modules. The reduction of
short-circuit currents associated with surface contamina-
tion is defined as the ratio of the output currents of the
compared reference modules [12–14]. The drawback of
this method is that the difference in inclination or azimuth
angles (for example, by 0.5 °) of clean and soiled PV mod-
ules do not allow us to obtain accurate values of the meas-
urement due to the difference in the amount of solar en-
ergy converted by each module during the day [15].
In another work, a device using microscopic imaging was
developed that makes it possible to assess the degree of
modules contamination based on a comparative analysis of
images of a soiled surface obtained using the device's cam-
era [16,17]. The disadvantage of this method is that a sep-
arate device must be mounted to each array of modules of
a PV system, which leads to additional financial costs.
The purpose of this paper is to develop a device for deter-
mining power losses in PV modules caused by soiling of
their front surface.
Operating principle of the device. The device operates
based on the principle of diffuse light reflection from the
PV module surface (Fig. 1). To determine the degree of con-
tamination of PV module, the device, with the optical side
where the hemispherical reflector is located, is tightly af-
fixed to the measurement places of the frontal surface of
the PV module. In the upper part of the hemispherical re-
flector, a light source is located perpendicular to the frontal
surface of PV module and a photodetector is located at a
certain angle to it, which detects the reflected light. The
light source consists of 7 LEDs tightly mounted in a circle
with each other. The LEDs were chosen so that they emit
ranges of white light: IR, red, yellow, green, blue, UV, and
even white light itself.
To make measurements, a laptop is connected to the USB
interface of the device and data can be exchanged between
the device and the laptop via any “terminal” utility. When
the corresponding command is sent from the laptop, the
control unit turns on and off the LEDs sequentially for a
short time and when light hits the surface of PV module,
the light is reflected in different directions and part of the
reflected light reaches the photodetector. The signal from
the photodetector is amplified, converted into a digital sig-
nal on the control unit and transmitted to a laptop to dis-
play and storage data for further analysis. The measured
values of the device are displayed on the computer screen
as a dimensionless value depending on the intensity of the
reflected light. As soiling particles accumulate on the sur-
face of the PV module, the reflective characteristics of the
surface change and, as a result, the intensity of light regis-
tered by the photodetector also changes, and conse-
quently the readings of the device too. This makes it possi-
ble to establish a relationship between the power loss of
191
Відновлювана енергетика. № 4/2025 | Сонячна енергетика
PV module and contamination. The device is powered via a
USB interface connected to a laptop. In future versions of
the device, to facilitate the measurement process, the
possibility of connecting a Bluetooth module to the de-
vice's USB interface is being considered so that measure-
ments can be taken via an Android application.
a) the appearance of the device b) the appearance from the optical side
с) block diagram of the device
Fig. 1. On (a) and (b) the external views of the device are shown. In (c) the block diagram of the device: 1 - housing, 2 -
hemispherical reflector, 3 - light source, 4 - photodetector, 5 - control unit, 6 - amplifier, 7 - USB interface, 8 - laptop, 9 –
reference PV module
The experimental part. Two identical 4 W monocrystalline
modules were selected for the measurements. The sur-
faces of the modules were cleaned of dirt and measure-
ments were carried out using the developed device in cer-
tain places of each module. After that, VAC of the modules
was measured using a Sciencetech solar radiation simulator
(UHE-NL-250) [18–20] at the Physical-Technical Institute of
Uzbekistan. The solar simulator could illuminate a surface
area of 25x25 cm, so the dimensions of both modules were
chosen not exceeding these limits (module size: 20x20 cm).
Both modules were installed in close proximity on the heli-
opolygon (solar testing site) of the Physical-Technical Insti-
tute. The modules were oriented southward, and the angle
of inclination coincided with the geographical latitude of
Tashkent. Then they were left on the heliopolygon for con-
tamination in a natural way. Periodically, one module was
cleaned, while the other remained dirty. After each clean-
ing, the device was used to measure both modules in cer-
tain places (Fig. 2). At the beginning of each month, the
VACs of both modules were measured on a solar simulator
and then reinstalled in their places at the Institute's heliop-
olygon (Fig.3).
Fig. 2. Carrying out measurements by the device
Fig. 3. Measuring VAC of modules using the Sciencetech so-
lar radiation simulator (UHE-NL-250)
192
Відновлювана енергетика. № 4/2025 | Сонячна енергетика
Initially, the experiments were conducted during the day.
Due to the fact that the photodetector is highly sensitive to
sunlight, the measurement results varied when the inten-
sity of solar radiation changed. Although, during the meas-
urements, the device was tightly affixed to the front surface
of the PV module, the back side of the module also allowed
solar radiation to pass through. Therefore, the experi-
mental results were unsuitable for analysis.
In the next stage, we have resumed the experiment, but
now the experiments were conducted after sunset. The
measurement results are shown in Fig. 4. It can be seen
from Fig. 4 that the light reflection curves from green to
white light have the same appearance (profile), but with a
shift along the vertical axis. To simplify data analysis, reflec-
tions of the green LED light are selected for further calcula-
tions. The use of a monochromatic green light source with
a wavelength of 530 nm is justified by the findings reported
in [21], where it was shown that the impact of surface
soiling on the electrical performance of solar cells can be
accurately assessed using optical transmission measure-
ments within the 500–600 nm spectral range, which
corresponds to the emission bands of green and yellow
LEDs [22]. Although our approach relies on analyzing
reflected light rather than transmitted light, we consider
this assumption valid for the purposes of our study.
Nevertheless, further investigation is needed to verify
whether this approach is also appropriate when applied to
reflected light.
Fig. 4. The data obtained using the device from
01.06.2024-01.10.2024. The vertical axis shows the device
readings
Analysis of the results. To find the relationship between re-
flected light (which was recorded by the device), the amount
of which is related to the surface contamination level and
power losses (measured using a solar simulator), a graph was
plotted using previously obtained results (Fig. 5).
The vertical axis shows the power loss values of PV module
measured on a solar simulator, the lower horizontal axis
shows the device readings, and the upper horizontal axis
shows the soiling losses. The graph shows that the correla-
tion between them is linear.
Fig. 5. The relationship between reflected green light and
the soiling losses of PV module
As mentioned above, at the beginning of the experiment,
the power (PC) of the cleaned PV module was measured,
then the power of an identical module, but with a soiled
surface (PD), was measured over several months. To deter-
mine the power loss (Ploss), the measured values were sub-
stituted into the following formula:
−
= 100%.C D
loss
C
P P
P
P
(1)
The relationship between PV module power losses (Ploss)
and the degree of contamination is determined using the
following formula:
−−
= 1n n
loss
loss
I I
k
P
(2)
where kloss is a coefficient that indicates how many units the
device readings change, corresponding to a 1% drop in
power of PV module, and In and In−1 are the device readings.
Substituting the corresponding values from the graph in
Fig. 3 into formula (2), we obtain: kloss = 62-19/10.4 ≈ 4.
The calculations show that each increase in the instrument
readings by an average of 4 units corresponds to a 1% re-
duction in PV module power. This dependence is deter-
mined for monocrystalline PV module and may differ for
different types of PV technologies. Therefore, kloss of the PV
module (it is recommended to use PV module similar to
modules on PV system) that is planned to be used for mon-
itoring soiling losses of PV system must be calculated. After
that, it can be installed in the same plane as the PV system
and monitored using the device.
Conclusions. Experiments have shown that the developed
device, based on the principle of diffuse light reflection
from the surface of PV module, can be used to determine
power losses of a PV system caused by soiling.
The device can be used to assess the degree of erosion on
the front surface of the PV module over several years. This
193
Відновлювана енергетика. № 4/2025 | Сонячна енергетика
can be evaluated by determining how closely the device
readings match the original values recorded before field in-
stallation.
The device can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of dif-
ferent PV surface cleaning methods under field conditions.
The proposed method does not require maintaining a per-
manently clean reference PV module, as is done in a tradi-
tional soiling station [12], thereby eliminating continuous
maintenance staffing and avoiding unnecessary water con-
sumption.
Compared with the Mars Soiling SensorTM [16], this device
does not employ any microscopic digital camera or optical
lenses, which makes it structurally simpler and less expen-
sive than other optical analogues.
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| id | veorgua-article-583 |
| institution | Vidnovluvana energetika |
| keywords_txt_mv | keywords |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-07-19T01:17:57Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Institute of Renewable Energy National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
| record_format | ojs |
| resource_txt_mv | veorgua/5d/c3e881762923945996146c885381755d.pdf |
| spelling | veorgua-article-5832026-07-18T06:32:23Z FRONT-SURFACE SOILING MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES ПРИСТРІЙ ДЛЯ ВИМІРЮВАННЯ ЗАБРУДНЕННЯ ЛИЦЕВОЇ ПОВЕРХНІ ФОТОВОЛЬТАЇЧНИХ МОДУЛІВ Tukfatullin , O. Butunbaev , B. Otaboev, S. photovoltaic systems, photovoltaic module contamination, soiling measurement, light source, reflection, solar simulator. фотоелектричні системи, забруднення поверхні модулів, вимірювання забруднення, джерело світла, відбиття, симулятор сонячного світла. Every year, significant investments are directed to research institutes and other organizations around the world that are engaged in improving the efficiency of solar cells. The decrease in the efficiency of photovoltaic modules is largely caused by surface contamination and depends significantly on the re-gion where they are installed. In some locations, performance losses can be substantial. The construction of utility-scale PV plants requires vast land areas. Therefore, it is not advisable to build them in urban are-as or on agriculturally valuable lands. Utility-scale PV plants are usually built on unprofitable or barren lands such as semi-desert, desert areas, where access to water is limited. These are plots of land that are not in demand for agriculture or other constructions, but such regions are characterized by a large num-ber of sunny days a year. It takes a lot of water to clean the surfaces of the PV modules at the station. But in desert areas, the cost of water consumption can be equal to the price of fuel. To find a balance between the soiling losses in PV system and its surface cleaning costs, a device is required that monitors these pa-rameters and notifies when cleaning is needed – specifically, when energy losses outweigh the expenses. This paper describes a developed device for measuring soiling losses in PV module. The operating principle of the device is based on the phenomenon of diffuse light reflection from the surface of PV module. Exper-iments have proved that the developed device can be used to monitor the soiling losses in PV systems. Щороку значні інвестиції спрямовуються в науково-дослідні інститути та інші організації по всьому світу, які займаються підвищенням ефективності сонячних елементів. Зниження ефективності фотоелектричних модулів (ФЕМ) значною мірою пов'язане із забрудненням їхньої поверхні та залежить від регіону, в якому вони встановлені. У деяких місцях втрати продуктивності можуть бути суттєвими. Для будівництва великих фотоелектричних станцій (ФЕС) потрібні значні земельні ділянки. Тому недоцільно розміщувати їх у містах або на прибуткових сільськогосподарських угіддях. Зазвичай великі ФЕС будують на нерентабельних або непридатних для сільського господарства землях — таких як напівпустельні або пустельні регіони, де доступ до води обмежений. Це території, які не використовуються для ведення сільського господарства або будівництва. Такі регіони також характеризуються великою кількістю сонячних днів на рік. Для очищення поверхонь фотогальванічних модулів на станції необхідна значна кількість технічної води. Однак у посушливих регіонах вартість води може зрівнятися з ціною палива. Щоб знайти баланс між втратою потужності ФЕС та витратами на очищення поверхні модулів, необхідним є пристрій, який здійснюватиме моніторинг цих параметрів та сигналізуватиме про необхідність очищення, коли втрати енергії перевищують витрати на обслуговування. У цій роботі описано розроблений пристрій для вимірювання втрат потужності ФЕМ через забруднення їхньої лицьової поверхні. Принцип роботи пристрою базується на явищі дифузного відбиття світла від поверхні модуля. Проведені експерименти підтвердили, що розроблений пристрій цілком придатний для моніторингу забруднення ФЕС. Institute of Renewable Energy National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine 2025-12-27 Article Article application/pdf https://ve.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/583 10.36296/1819-8058.2025.4(83).189-194 Vidnovluvana energetika ; No. 4(83) (2025): Scientific and applied Journal renewable energy ; 189-194 Возобновляемая энергетика; ##issue.no## 4(83) (2025): Scientific and applied Journal renewable energy ; 189-194 Відновлювана енергетика; № 4(83) (2025): Науково-прикладний журнал Відновлювана енергетика; 189-194 2664-8172 1819-8058 10.36296/1819-8058.2025.4(83) en https://ve.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/583/494 Copyright (c) 2025 O. Tukfatullin , B. Butunbaev , S. Otaboev https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 |
| spellingShingle | photovoltaic systems photovoltaic module contamination soiling measurement light source reflection solar simulator. Tukfatullin , O. Butunbaev , B. Otaboev, S. FRONT-SURFACE SOILING MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES |
| title | FRONT-SURFACE SOILING MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES |
| title_alt | ПРИСТРІЙ ДЛЯ ВИМІРЮВАННЯ ЗАБРУДНЕННЯ ЛИЦЕВОЇ ПОВЕРХНІ ФОТОВОЛЬТАЇЧНИХ МОДУЛІВ |
| title_full | FRONT-SURFACE SOILING MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES |
| title_fullStr | FRONT-SURFACE SOILING MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES |
| title_full_unstemmed | FRONT-SURFACE SOILING MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES |
| title_short | FRONT-SURFACE SOILING MEASUREMENT DEVICE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES |
| title_sort | front-surface soiling measurement device for photovoltaic modules |
| topic | photovoltaic systems photovoltaic module contamination soiling measurement light source reflection solar simulator. |
| topic_facet | photovoltaic systems photovoltaic module contamination soiling measurement light source reflection solar simulator. фотоелектричні системи забруднення поверхні модулів вимірювання забруднення джерело світла відбиття симулятор сонячного світла. |
| url | https://ve.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/583 |
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