Assessment of Soiling Dynamics and Cleaning Efficiency for Photovoltaic Modules Under Different Dust Environments

Laboratory protocols that predictively reproduce site‐specific soiling dynamics are required to accelerate prefield screening of photovoltaic (PV) materials, coatings, and cleaning strategies. Here we present a novel controlled soiling‐and‐cleaning testbed and a parametrized protocol that reproduces both deposition morphology and humidity‐driven cementation observed in two contrasting environments: a quarry/agricultural site in Southern France and the gypsum‐rich Atacama Desert (PSDA). Using site‐collected dusts and accelerated humidity–temperature cycling, the chamber reproduces field‐observed cementation microstructures and electrical/spectral penalties in ≈1.5 days of testing (vs. ≈1 month outdoor). We quantify how front‐cover coatings, encapsulants, and tilt angle affect spectral transmittance and short‐circuit current ( I SC ) losses, and evaluate cleaning efficiency using robotic brush passes. Key findings of this work are: (i) antireflective antisoiling coatings reduce optical losses substantially, whereas encapsulant choice has a negligible effect on soiling behavior; (ii) darker, mineral‐rich Mediterranean dusts impose larger spectral penalties per unit mass but are easier to remove; (iii) gypsum‐rich Atacama dusts produce lower immediate optical losses but stronger cementation‐driven adhesion; and (iv) a single‐pass robotic cleaning recovers >98% of the I SC losses. The protocol thus enables rapid, site‐tailored evaluation of coatings and cleaning strategies, bridging laboratory and field observations in a reproducible framework.