Photovoltaic Potential Assessment and Dust Impacts on Photovoltaic Systems in Iran: Review Paper

Increasing energy demand, together with environmental concerns, results in a significant tendency toward the research and development of renewable systems and particularly solar energy. Locating in the sunbelt of earth, Iran has great solar potential. However, due to the noticeable amount of dust activities in the Middle East, there are several challenges in the way of development of the photovoltaic systems. The current article provides a comprehensive literature review on the photovoltaic status in Iran regarding the climate conditions, photovoltaic development potentials, energy policies within the country, and photovoltaic experiences. A regionally focused review of the conducted works is provided to investigate the effect of dust activities on the output performance of photovoltaic systems. A focus on dust origins, frequency, and specifications is a priority in order to analyze its impacts on the performance of photovoltaic systems. Furthermore, a review of cleaning methods to overcome the dust deposition problem is provided. The comprehensive literature review conducted in this article is represented to researchers, designers, and engineers dealing with photovoltaic systems in regions with dust problems such as the Middle East and particularly Iran.