Soiling (solar energy)

Soiling is the buildup of material such as mineral dust, bird droppings, fungi, lichen, pollen, engine exhaust or agricultural emissions on the light collecting surfaces of a solar power system, which blocks or scatters incoming light and reduces power output. It affects ordinary photovoltaic systems as well as concentrated photovoltaic and concentrated solar thermal power, with concentrating systems suffering more from a given amount of soiling than non-concentrating ones. Losses vary widely by region and are generally below one percent where rain is frequent, but as of 2018 the estimated worldwide average annual power loss from soiling was 5 to 10 percent, costing an estimated 3 to 5 billion euros in lost revenue; water cleaning remains the most widely used mitigation, though antisoiling coatings are considered the most important long term solution. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/