Study of the Seasonal Effect of Atmospheric Parameters on Solar Photovoltaic Production in Burkina Faso, West Africa

Abstract

The work presented is an analysis of solar photovoltaic production, the objective of which is to study the effect of seasonal atmospheric parameters on the production of solar photovoltaic power plants in Burkina Faso. It is a study based on in situ measurements and observation data from the MODIS sensor aboard the Terra satellite. Thus, an analysis of aerosol variability at the national scale shows that aerosol levels peak during the winter months of February, the spring months of March, April, and May, and the summer month of June. This distribution of aerosols is consistent with the dynamics of the Harmattan wind and convective systems, which explain the nature of aerosols dominated by coarse particles associated with desert dust. Furthermore, this seasonality of aerosols is confirmed by the annual cycles of AOD and Angstrom coefficient observed at the study sites where the power plants are located. In addition, a combined qualitative analysis of the AOD cycle and available solar potential shows the direct effect of aerosols on the radiation required for solar photovoltaic conversion. This effect of aerosols on solar power plant output is corroborated by a negative correlation that demonstrates their significant ability to influence the efficiency of solar power plant output. Furthermore, the study of the seasonal effect of climatic parameters indicates, through annual cycles and correlation coefficients, the negative impact of temperature and relative humidity on the output of solar photovoltaic systems. This is contrary to the effect of sunlight, although it depends on the weather, location, and environmental factors. The same applies to wind speed, which is favorable to the production cycle of power plants, although it is the main vector for the emission of mineral dust that settles on the surface of the modules. In short, atmospheric parameters generally have a negative impact on photovoltaic power plant production in a Sahelian-type climate strongly influenced by desert dust.