From Soiling to Dust Storms: Risks, Impacts, and Mitigation in High-Penetration Photovoltaic Systems

Pozivamo vas na predavanje prof. Leonarda Michelija na temu Risks, Impacts, and Mitigation in High-Penetration Photovoltaic Systems, a koje će se održati 09.06.2025. od 11:00 do 12:00 u dvorani B402 Fakulteta elektrotehnike, strojarstva i brodogradnje u Splitu.

 

Sažetak predavanja (abstract):

 

As the share of photovoltaics (PV) in electricity generation continues to grow, disruptions in PV performance can have serious consequences at both local and national scales. The accumulation of dust and dirt on PV panels, known as soiling, causes significant energy and revenue losses every year. This talk focuses on how the impact and the mitigation of soiling are evolving as the contribution of PV to our national energy mixes grows. Particular attention is given to extreme events like dust storms, which can affect entire PV fleets even outside desert regions. In addition, mechanisms such as curtailment and clipping are becoming more frequent and could potentially mask at least part of the soiling effect, reducing the perceived need to address it. Their impact, the challenges they pose to soiling mitigation, and future perspectives will also be discussed in the talk.

 

Životopis (curriculum vitae):

 

Prof. Leonardo Micheli is an Associate Professor at the Department of Astronautical, Electrical, and Energy Engineering (DIAEE) of Sapienza University of Rome (Italy). He has a PhD in Renewable Energy awarded by the University of Exeter (UK) in 2015. After the PhD, he worked at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, CO, USA) and the University of Jaén (Jaén, Spain).

 

His research activity focuses on the analysis, modeling, and optimization of PV systems, with a specific emphasis on mitigating PV losses, particularly those caused by soiling. In recent years, he also investigated the socio-techno-economic aspects of floating PV installations. Over the years, he has been granted prestigious fellowships, such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship, funded by the European Commission, and the Rita Levi Montalcini grant for Young Researchers, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. One of his papers, in 2023, received the Solar Energy Journal Award in the “Solar Energy Systems Integration” category. Prof. Micheli also serves as an expert in the International Energy Agency (IEA) Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) Task 13 on PV Reliability and Performance.