2025.08.08
1. Reduced Light Intensity (Key Impact)
n Smoke Particle Scattering/Absorption of Sunlight: Aerosols and particulate matter in smoke scatter or directly absorb solar radiation, particularly significantly blocking shortwave radiation (such as visible light and ultraviolet light), resulting in a decrease in the light intensity reaching photovoltaic panels.
n Irradiance Attenuation: Studies have shown that heavy smoke exposure can reduce surface irradiance by more than 50%, directly impacting the output power of photovoltaic systems. For example, during the 2019-2020 Australian wildfires, the average daily power generation of some photovoltaic power plants decreased by 15%-30%.
2. Surface Contamination of Photovoltaic Panels (Cumulative Effect)
n Particle Deposition: Ash, tar, and other particles in smoke can adhere to the surface of photovoltaic panels, creating physical obstructions. Long-term deposition can reduce light transmittance, particularly affecting fixed-tilt photovoltaic systems without self-cleaning features.
n Chemical Corrosion Risk: Certain combustion products (such as acids) can corrode glass or coatings, but this typically only becomes apparent after prolonged exposure.
3. Spectral Change (Minor Factor)
Smoke may alter the solar spectrum (e.g., by scattering more red light), but mainstream silicon-based photovoltaic panels are less sensitive to spectral changes, making the impact relatively minor.
4. Temperature Effect (Bifaciality)
Cooling Effect: Smoke blocks sunlight, potentially lowering the operating temperature of photovoltaic panels. For every 1°C decrease in temperature, silicon-based cell efficiency increases by approximately 0.3%-0.5%. However, in most cases, the loss of sunlight far outweighs the temperature gain.
Example of Actual Impact
n Short-term Event: During the 2020 California wildfires, smoke caused a 30% drop in photovoltaic power generation in the state in a single day.
n Long-term Cumulative Effect: Studies in areas with severe air pollution, such as India, show that dust contamination can cause 8%-15% of photovoltaic power generation to be lost each month if photovoltaic panels are not cleaned. Wildfire smoke may exacerbate this problem.
Mitigation Measures
1. Proactive Cleaning: Promptly flush photovoltaic panels after a disaster (pay attention to water quality to avoid residual water stains).
2. Operational and Maintenance Adjustments: Increase cleaning frequency during periods of high smoke intensity, or use automated cleaning robots.
3. System Design:
l Appropriately increase the tilt angle to utilize rainwater for self-cleaning.
l In areas prone to wildfires, higher power redundancy can be reserved during design.
4. Monitoring Technology: Combine aerosol optical depth (AOD) data to predict power generation losses and optimize grid scheduling.
Research Progress
n NASA and other institutions have found through satellite observations that frequent wildfires worldwide may reduce annual photovoltaic power generation by 1%-5% in some regions, but regional differences are significant (for example, the impact of biomass burning in Southeast Asia is more significant).
n New anti-fouling coatings (such as hydrophobic nanomaterials) are being tested to reduce particulate matter adhesion.
Summary
The impact of wildfire smoke on photovoltaic power generation is primarily short-term power reduction, followed by long-term deposition pollution. Against the backdrop of increasing wildfires due to climate change, photovoltaic power plants need to incorporate smoke into power generation forecasting models and optimize adaptive operation and maintenance strategies.
Keywords：
Sun Earth Solar, Ningbo Sun Earth, Sun-Earth, Sun Earth, photovoltaic modules, solar panels, Photovoltaic System
