Abstract
In areas located near major dust sources such as cement plants and limestone quarries, surface soiling due to particle accumulation can significantly diminish the energy output of solar panels. This study investigates the potential of thermophoresis to mitigate the deposition of airborne limestone dust on photovoltaic (PV) surfaces. A full factorial experiment comprising$\mathbf{1 0, 0 0 0}$simulations was conducted to assess the influence of particle diameter, wind speed, and ambient and surface temperatures on dust settling behavior. The analysis is based on a mathematical model that evaluates the thermophoretic and gravitational forces acting on a single particle carried by a parallel forced convection flow over an isothermal horizontal plate. Results indicate that thermophoresis effectively counteracts deposition for particles smaller than$1.5 \mu \mathrm{m}$in diameter, with a dominant effect observed below$0.55 \mu \mathrm{m}$even under low wind speeds and modest thermal gradients. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating thermophoretic effects into predictive models for solar panel soiling. These results are significant for the optimization of PV systems, especially in regions with high dust concentrations, and may contribute to the development of surface coatings with enhanced anti-soiling properties.