Presentation Description: The extent of wildfires in California in the summer of 2020 resulted in substantial performance losses for area PV plants due to array deposition of windblown wildfire particulate matter. A mounting body of evidence suggests that the frequency of wildfires in the Desert Southwest US is likely to increase as a result of climate change. At the same time, the magnitude of the impact of these wildfires on PV array soiling is not known, presenting a potential high-impact uncertainty to long-term PV performance in the region.
In this presentation, Power Factors will present results of a study to quantify not only climatological regional soiling rates for California PV plants based on measured data from 2018 and 2019 but will also quantify the extent to which soiling rates were accelerated in 2020 due to the prevalence of wildfires. In addition to the results of the study, the presentation will include an overview of the data analyzed and a high-level description of the algorithm employed as part of Power Factor’s Drive Pro platform.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participants will be able to understand the possible impact of recent wildfires on their sites in California, or other places impacted by major wildfires.
Upon completion, participants will be able to analyze soiling data across their own portfolio.
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