University Photovoltaic Panel Hydrophobic Coating

Can hydrophobic coatings be applied to PV modules?

Esfahani et al. prepared hydrophobic coatings with anti-icing properties using sol–gel method , all of which have excellent self-cleaning properties and can be applied to PV modules working in extreme environments.

Why do photovoltaic modules need anti-reflective and superhydrophobic coatings?

Photovoltaic modules are long-term exposed outdoors, and the surfaces are easily covered by dust, which seriously affects the power generation efficiency and increases the workload of maintenance. An anti-reflective and superhydrophobic coating with excellent durable and self-cleaning properties was proposed to improve this problem.

Does hydrophobic nanocoating improve the performance of PV panels?

Based on the results of this study, the following conclusions were obtained: The performance of PV panels was enhanced by the hydrophobic nanocoating. The nanocoating has a good transmittance in the visible light range (400–800 nm).

What is anti-reflective superhydrophobic coating?

In summary, we proposed an anti-reflective superhydrophobic coating with excellent durability for PV modules. The prepared coatings consist of double-layer film: the bottom layer is connected to the substrate through covalent bonding, and the top layer is connected to the bottom layer by an embedded structure to improve the connection strength.

How a commercial hydrophobic SIO 2 coating can improve solar PV performance?

The use of a commercial hydrophobic SiO 2 coating nanomaterial improved the overall performance of the solar PV modules. The output power, which indicates the overall efficiency of the PV system, was increased by 15% compared to the dusty modules and by 5% compared to the uncoated modules that were cleaned manually every day.

How durable are superhydrophobic coatings?

Lots of researchers have contributed to the durability and transmittance of the coatings, but it is worth noting that the durability of superhydrophobic coatings consists of two main key points, one is the adhesion of the coatings to the substrate, and the other is the mechanical stability of the micro-nano structure .