- Welldorfer Str. • Jülich • Nordrhein • Westfalen - Deutschland, GERMANY
TitanShield™ SolarCoat
Selbstreinigung für Solar Panelle
Grâce à la recherche, les panneaux solaires sont constamment améliorés. Il s'agit souvent de "chatouiller" un peu plus de performances. Cependant, la poussière fine et la saleté sur les surfaces en verre entraînent des pertes de performances évitables. Les panneaux sont souvent installés dans des endroits difficiles d'accès, ce qui rend les travaux de nettoyage, déjà coûteux et chronophages, encore plus difficiles. TitanShield SolarCoat représente la solution optimale : le revêtement réalise un auto-nettoyage actif de la surface, ce qui améliore les performances des panneaux d'environ 7 % à long terme. De plus, la transmission lumineuse est augmentée de 3 % supplémentaires immédiatement après le revêtement. Le revêtement est durable, résistant aux rayures et aux frottements. TitanShield SolarCoat, contribuant à un environnement sain avec des économies de coûts à long terme.
AUTONETTOYANT
La tâche:
Panneaux solaires autonettoyants
Caractéristiques:
Super hydrophile - Autonettoyant
Super hydrophile - Purificateur d'air
Antibactérien, anti-mousse et antifongique
Antireflet, protection UV - Antistatique - Autonettoyant
AVANTAGES
TitanShield™ SolarCoat est un revêtement spécial qui photocatalyse et les nanotechnologies combinées.
Normalement, les détergents réduisent la tension superficielle de l'eau et l'angle de contact est réduit. Lorsque la surface du revêtement nano-photocatalytique est exposée à la lumière, l'angle de contact des surfaces avec l'eau diminue progressivement. Après une exposition suffisante à la lumière, la surface devient superhydrophile. En d'autres termes, il ne repousse pas l'eau, donc l'eau ne peut pas être sous forme de gouttes, mais s'étale à plat sur le sol. L'hydrophilie combinée à la gravité permet aux particules de poussière d'être balayées par le jet d'eau (pluie), d'où la principale propriété d'auto-nettoyage et de facilité de nettoyage.
La solution:
TitanShield® est une combinaison de catalyseur et de nanotechnologie. Avec un TitanShield® SolarCoat Le revêtement protège efficacement le panneau solaire. Le produit peut les panneaux sont pulvérisés afin de créer l'effet autonettoyant
Avantages:
TitanShield® permet aux panneaux solaires de briller de propreté et d'une nouvelle splendeur.
Protège les surfaces de la poussière, des pluies acides et des influences nocives de l'environnement.
Décompose les substances organiques sur les surfaces, par ex. B. excrétions d'oiseaux, pollen d'abeilles
après la pluie, aucune tache d'eau ne reste sur la surface
réduit la consommation d'énergie pour le refroidissement du panneau en été.
Supprime la formation de moisissures et d'algues
absorbe les rayons UV du soleil, protégeant la surface des dommages causés par les UV.
Supprime l'accumulation électrostatique de poussière.
TitanShield® SolarCoat Trial
Testing carried out during April and May 2010
Introduction
I had always been concerned about installing a solar power system for fear its effectiveness would always be compromised because of the dusty and dirty conditions we experience, particularly here in inland Australia. To overcome this, regular cleaning would be necessary and that only comes at extra cost or inconvenience.
After searching online I found a company that manufactured a product called TitanShield® SolarCoat. This product, which can be applied post-manufacture, has been designed to minimize the accumulation of dirt and dust on solar panels. The coating, it was claimed, also had the added advantage of increasing the output of solar panels.
If this product did what was claimed in the brochure then it would overcome my main
objection to installing a solar power system. Having established that I could import the product and obtain the necessary equipment for its application, I decided to go ahead with this project. Because of the extra cost of applying the coating, I was very keen to set up a trial to test its effectiveness and see if the benefits made it worthwhile.
Applying the product did take some trial and error to get the application volume correct because the product guide was somewhat less than ideal.
Once that was achieved it was fairly easy to get an even coating. After spraying, the surface becomes slightly milky in appearance once it has dried.
The following results are based on 22 x Risen SYP180S (180 Watts) panels.
All panel outputs were compared using a load of 120 & 180Watts.
A control panel was selected based on the average output of these results.
This resulted in 21 panels having SolarCoat applied and 1 panel (without SolarCoat)
being used as the control panel.
Results
Panel output versus control panel
Prior to the SolarCoat application, the control panel had an average –of 0.34% (less)
output voltage under load against the other 21 panels.
After the application, the control panel had an average – 2.848% (less) output voltage
under load against the 21, SolarCoat treated Panels.
Therefore on average, there was a +2.58% gain in output after application.
The effect on voltage output (120 Watt Load) of the panel angle to the sun
This was carried out as a totally separate test.
At 54 Degrees + 3.03% over the control
At 64 Degrees + 8.78% over the control
At 66 Degrees + 10.61 % over the control
The effect of water, dust and dirt
One control panel and one treated panel were set at 22 degrees from the horizontal. The first test carried out was to see what effect clean rainwater had on the panel surface.
The next test was to see how dirty rainwater (soil dissolved in rain water) dried on thesurface.
The surface was then washed, by simulating light rain and then heavy rain.
No significant differences of output voltages were observed during this test, as the dust and dirt buildup was very limited due to the short testing period. However the water stains on the untreated control panel indicate that over time there would be a significant dirt build-up on the surface. This could affect panel performance and would certainly require manual cleaning.
Conclusion
TitanShield’s SolarCoat certainly does increase the output of solar panels. The fact that there is an increase in average voltage output of about 2.5% not only means that they producer more power but also they produce it for longer periods. This is because the trigger point
of the inverter will be reached sooner and the shut down point will occur later.
The differences between the treated and untreated panels proved to be much great at lower levels of radiation. This is particularly apparent when the angle of the surface of the panels to the sun is at it greatest, as is the case early morning and late afternoon.
The coating not only change the characteristics of water droplets on the panel surface but also stops the spotting and staining that normally occurs when water droplets dry
(See Photos).
Although light rain does leave a slight dust film on the surface of treated panels heavy rain does appear to clean the surface quite effectively. This really would limit the need for manual cleaning to periods of low or no rainfall. Only time will tell how the coating stands up over time and how it may be affected by light to medium hailstones.
Ideally, to test the full long term benefits of this product I suggest a long-term trial should be carried. As an example, a trial of 20 panels could be installed on a roof where every second panels is treated and the others remain untreated. Monitoring of the output of each section, treated and untreated should be carried out over a period of 5 to 10 years.
In summary, and on the basis of my testing I believe the benefits should be very worthwhile. Of course this assumes the coating will lasts for the life of the panels or at the very least many years. However its costs would become very questionable if it had to be reapplied every few years. If that were the case, I’m not sure what would need to be done to the panel surface to allow a reapplication of the product, this is not mentioned in the available data.
Where to from here, all panels will now be installed in a grid connected PV system. This will be monitored and the one untreated panel will observed against the treated panels for dust and dirt accumulation
Peter Fleming
Australia