The problem of soiling of photovoltaic cells is gaining international attention. A global initiative sponsored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the US and by the Électricité de France’s renewable energy laboratory in Europe (EDF Energie Novelles), is being launched under the umbrella of the International Photovoltaic Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT). The initiative is called the PVQAT Soiling Collaborative.
PVQAT (“PV-Cat”) develops standards and provides comparative information about the reliability of photovoltaic modules under different conditions, with the goal of giving solar customers data to improve the accuracy of quantitative PV lifetime predictions in real-world environments. ARLD has volunteered for two committees: anti-soiling coatings and durability testing.