Innovative Approach Unveiled: Predicting Solar Module Lifespans Amid Sand Erosion

On February 24, 2025, exciting news emerged from the research frontiers of solar energy. A group of researchers in Algeria has made significant headway in the study of solar module durability in sandy environments. They've designed a brand - new testbed and formulated a unique acceleration law that takes into account two crucial factors: wind speed and sand density. This novel methodology was put to the test on four photovoltaic (PV) modules, and the results were remarkable, indicating lifespans of up to 47 years considering the impact of sand.

This research spans multiple important areas within the solar energy industry, including manufacturing, module quality assessment, dealing with soiling issues, and overall technological R&D. It's a significant contribution, especially for regions like Algeria in Northern Africa, where desert landscapes are widespread, and solar energy potential is vast but challenged by sand erosion.

The scientists from Algeria proposed an innovative accelerated aging testbed specifically for PV modules and developed a never - before - seen acceleration law tailored to sand - erosion - induced degradation. Abdelkader Elkharraz, the corresponding author, shared with pv magazine, "Our research stands out from existing models. We've introduced a law designed exclusively for sand erosion. By incorporating wind speed and sand density, we can predict module lifespans in desert environments with far greater accuracy."

In desert regions, sand erosion is one of the most formidable threats to the reliability of PV modules. The continuous battering of sand particles, propelled by strong winds, inflicts both mechanical and optical damage on the module surface. This damage is evident in various forms: the protective glass layer gets abraded, the anti - reflective coating is scratched, and dust and debris accumulate. All these factors combine to reduce light transmission and ultimately lower the overall power output of the modules.

The custom - built testbed is a marvel of engineering. It allows researchers to precisely control the parameters that influence sand erosion. There's a sand - feed mechanism that can adjust the sand density, a variable - speed fan to regulate wind velocity, and a rotation stage that ensures the modules are exposed to sand from all angles. To make the tests more representative of real - world desert conditions, they used sand from desertification zones. This type of sand has larger, irregularly shaped grains, making the erosion more intense.

The research team selected four monocrystalline silicon PV modules for testing. Two of them were brand - new 100 - watt Dinel Solaire modules, while the other two were previously used 80 - watt Visel modules. Under test condition 1, the modules were subjected to a sand density of 5.8 g/m³ and a wind speed of 12 m/s. Test condition 2 was even more rigorous, with a sand density of 10.3 g/m³ and a wind speed of 15 m/s. According to the researchers, condition 1 simulated a "harsh accelerating environment," and condition 2 represented "an even more severe and accelerating environment."

The new acceleration law, named Elkharraz - Boussaid's Law after its creators, factors in wind speed and sand density. It calculates the mean time to failure (MTTF), which indicates the average time a system can operate before failing under specific conditions. When combined with a fuzzy - logic - based data analysis program, the model can determine the acceleration factor (AF). The AF is a crucial metric as it quantifies the ratio between the degradation rate in accelerated test conditions and that in real - world scenarios.

Professor Elkharraz explained, "We correlated the data we collected with real - world wind data from a solar plant in Adrar, Algeria. This comprehensive dataset was then used to estimate the actual lifespans of these modules under typical desert operating conditions."

The results were quite revealing. In the Adrar region of Algeria, their model, in conjunction with the fuzzy - logic - based data analysis program, predicted that VISEL modules would have a significantly longer lifespan of 46.8 years compared to DINEL modules, which were estimated to last 31.6 years. The annual degradation rates also supported these findings, with VISEL modules showing a rate of 0.64% and DINEL modules at 1.38%. These rates align with existing research, highlighting the model's potential for accurately forecasting module lifetimes in sand - prone areas.

The research findings were published in "A novel acceleration law for sand erosion degradation of photovoltaic modules" in the journal Renewable Energy. Scientists from Algeria's Ahmed Draia University of Adrar, Medea University, and the Renewable Energy Development Center (CDER) collaborated on this groundbreaking research.