Optimization of the photovoltaic powered systems with dust mitigation technology for future lunar and martian missions

The dust mitigation technologies are critical for deployment of photovoltaic (PV) arrays in remote, dusty atmospheres such as the surface of the Moon, Mars and even Earth. As dust collects on the photovoltaic modules, the amount of light hitting the surface is decreased, thus decreasing the overall power output. In general, it is not practicable to use moving parts in high-dust areas due to the damaging effects dust has on joints and electronics. We developed a hybrid experimental system that incorporates a transparent Electrodynamic Screen (EDS) with a PV array allowing us to study the total efficiency of different technologies (GaAs, Mono Si and Multi Si). In order to give a qualitative and quantitative analysis of performance measures of solar cells with the integrated EDS technologies, prototypes were developed and tested in the indoor and outdoor conditions. The effect of the UV aging on the EDS coatings were performed in a Q-Sun Xenon Test Chamber Model Xe-3-H. The Jasco V-670 Spectrophotometer was used to measure the UV/Vis transmission in the wavelength range from 190 nm to 750 nm before and after each UV aging increment of 99 hours.