Utilizing SEM measurments in modelling monocrystaline silicon solar cell degradation due to an effective dust-layer

In the current paper, we propose a modified SCAPS model using a Monocrystalline PV cell to demonstrate the optoelectronic impact of the dust accumulated layer thickness by considering it as an effective medium with time-dependent thickness variation. Following the proposed model, we have estimated the expected short circuit current degradation with respect to time under continuous dust accumulations, as well as the total output power of the cell. The data for the model was measured through conducting 6 weeks experiment in a deserted area using glass sheets to collect dust samples. These samples were analyzed using SEM, and the results were seeded to our simulation model. The current density degradation curves with respect to dust accumulation levels were plotted, where the short circuit current dropped by 55.5% at dust layer thickness
$28.5\ \mu\mathrm{m}$
with almost fixed open-circuit voltage.