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In this study, the sol–gel method was used to create rough surface hydrophobic coating to reduce soiling issues on PV panels. A solution was prepared using three different materials including vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), and tetrabutoxytitanate (TTBU) called VTT (VTES–TEOS–TTBU) sol as the organic–inorganic hybrid sol.
The fabrication of such surfaces is challenging due to the competing goals of hydrophobicity and transmittance in terms of the required degree of surface roughness. In this study, the sol–gel method was used to create rough surface hydrophobic coating to reduce soiling issues on PV panels.
There are many PV cleaning methods, including manual, mechanical, chemical, electrostatic, and even human use, and some of these methods may be effective in some areas but may not be in other regions. Ref (Alagoz and Apak, 2020). investigates contributions of surface acoustic waves (SAW) to dust removal process from PV panel surfaces.
The application of hydrophobic coatings on PV solar cells can be a cost-effective and alternative solution to reduce the efficiency losses from dust accumulation [ 4, 5, 6 ]. In regard to address this issue, coatings play a crucial role in protecting PV panels' surfaces from the aggressive environment.