Enhancing solar PV efficiency in mining operations through optimized cleaning intervals and automated dust mitigation

The full potential solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is not utilised by the mining industry due to heavy dust deposition and harsh operating condition. This study aims to quantify the seasonal impact of dust deposition on PV performance and determine the optimal cleaning frequency for optimize the performance of solar PV Panel in an operational mining condition. Additionally, an innovative automated dry dust cleaning system is designed, developed, and validated in the active mining field to evaluate its operational efficiency and durability. A comprehensive study of twenty-six week was conducted to monitor the variations in dust deposition density and output energy of PV panel across three distinct seasonal phases. Among these, pre-summer phase showed the highest dust deposition density of 5.98 g/m² and due to this maximum output power (P_max) of dusty panel reduce by 63.50%. This phase experienced an intense mining activity and dry weather condition. Therefore, a cleaning schedule of 3 to 4 days is recommended to effectively utilise the potential of PV panel. The other two phases such as dry winter and early monsoon experienced comparatively lower average reduction of 35% to 40% in maximum output power. A moderate cleaning scheduled of 6 to 7 day is recommended for these two phases Further, the developed dust cleaning system is validated in the mining field under three different environmental phases and an average recovery of 40% in Pmax is obtained across three phases. This presents the effectiveness of developed dust cleaning system under real operating condition. The outcome of this research highlights the need of dynamic cleaning schedule for effective utilisation of solar energy in mining industry. The integration of smart dust sensors and AI based predictive modelling of developed cleaning system for sustainable utilisation of solar energy in mining and allied industries.