Static electricity can keep desert solar panels free of dust

Illustration of dust removal from a solar panel using static electricity. Illustration by Sreedath Panat and Kripa Varanasi. Article by Chen Ly. New Scientist – March 11, 2022.

Static electricity could remove dust from desert solar panels, saving around 10 billion gallons of water every year.

Some of the largest solar farms in the world are in deserts, such as Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in the United Arab Emirates and Desert Sunlight Solar Farm in California. These environments tend to be very dusty, with particles quickly accumulating on solar panels. One month’s dust build-up can cut a solar panel’s output by around 40 per cent. […]

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