Impact of aerosols on photovoltaic energy production using a spectrally resolved model chain: Case study of southern West Africa

The potential for photovoltaic (PV) power generation in the sun rich countries of West Africa is vast, and could play a vital role in increasing the region's electricity supply. In this context it is important to study the effect of atmospheric aerosols on solar irradiance and PV power. Based on an analysis of the aerosol optical properties for Cotonou, Benin from the DACCIWA measurement campaign, we investigate the impact of aerosols on PV power for polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon technology using a spectrally resolved model chain. The model considers both spectral effects on global irradiance due to different aerosol properties as well as the spectral response of different PV technologies. First, we study the contribution of various aerosol types (mineral dust, biomass burning and anthropogenic pollution) that were classified based on the DACCIWA data analysis. Subsequently, we present differences between these imaginary aerosol scenarios and the real case of a biomass burning outbreak on July 13, 2016 in Benin.