ABSTRACTDevelopment of transparent electrodynamic screens (EDS) printed on ultrathin
flexible glass film substrates for retrofitting on solar panels and solar
mirrors to perform self cleaning function is reviewed. Large-scale solar plants
are generally installed in semi-arid and desert areas where dust layers build up
on solar collectors causes major energy-yield loss. Maintaining designed plant
capacities requires more than 90% reflectivity for CSP mirrors and 90%
transmission efficiency for PV modules; solar collectors must therefore be
cleaned at a frequency depending on the rate of dust deposition. Scarcity of
water in these regions requires a cleaning method that drastically reduces or
eliminates water and the associated labor costs for high efficiency operation of
large-scale solar plants. An EDS film consists of rows of interdigitated,
transparent conducting parallel electrodes embedded within a flexible ultrathin
glass film and an optically clear adhesive film used for retrofitting the film
on the surface of solar collectors. When phased voltage pulses activate the
electrodes, the dust particles are first electrostatically charged, then
repelled and removed from the surface of the solar collectors by Coulomb force,
restoring transmission efficiency greater than 90%. The electrodes of EDS are
either made from silver nanowire or another conductive transparent material
printed on a highly transparent, ultrathin (100-μm thick), flexible
borosilicate glass film. Applications of different conducting transparent
electrodes and methods of printing are reviewed for optimizing self-cleaning
function of solar panels and mirrors.
Preparation and characterization of NiO/PSi as self-cleaning surface
