A Review of the Key Factors Influencing the Performance of Photovoltaic Installations in an Urban Environment
The successful integration of photovoltaic (PV) generators in cities requires careful planning that accounts for possible factors influencing their operation. Numerous authors have extensively studied these factors; however, the urban environment has its unique characteristics. This study aims to co...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Electricity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4826/6/2/23 |
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| author | Katerina G. Gabrovska-Evstatieva Dimitar T. Trifonov Boris I. Evstatiev |
| author_facet | Katerina G. Gabrovska-Evstatieva Dimitar T. Trifonov Boris I. Evstatiev |
| author_sort | Katerina G. Gabrovska-Evstatieva |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The successful integration of photovoltaic (PV) generators in cities requires careful planning that accounts for possible factors influencing their operation. Numerous authors have extensively studied these factors; however, the urban environment has its unique characteristics. This study aims to conduct a narrative review of the most common and influential urban factors that impact the operation of PV modules and explore potential mitigation strategies. Based on preliminary knowledge on the topic, a methodology was proposed according to which they are classified into two categories: those enhanced by the urban environment and those specific to it. A total of 97 studies, mostly from the last decade, were selected based on the relevance and impact criteria. Shading, soiling, and snow were analyzed in an urban context, followed by different urban-specific factors, such as the urban landscape, pollution, and the limitations of PV mounting spots, which can lead to more than 50% performance losses. The performed review also identified the key and most promising approaches for mitigation of the abovementioned factors, such as electrostatic dust cleaning and forward bias current snow removal. Furthermore, recommendations for urban landscape planning were made in the context of PV integration. This review could also be useful for designers and operators of urban PV facilities by providing them with basic guidelines for their optimization. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4da15eec72794adebb513183f2e09b9a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-4826 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Electricity |
| spelling | doaj-art-4da15eec72794adebb513183f2e09b9a2025-08-20T03:27:18ZengMDPI AGElectricity2673-48262025-05-01622310.3390/electricity6020023A Review of the Key Factors Influencing the Performance of Photovoltaic Installations in an Urban EnvironmentKaterina G. Gabrovska-Evstatieva0Dimitar T. Trifonov1Boris I. Evstatiev2Department of Computer Science, University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev”, 8 Studentska Str., 7004 Ruse, BulgariaDepartment of Automatics and Electronics, University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev”, 8 Studentska Str., 7004 Ruse, BulgariaDepartment of Automatics and Electronics, University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev”, 8 Studentska Str., 7004 Ruse, BulgariaThe successful integration of photovoltaic (PV) generators in cities requires careful planning that accounts for possible factors influencing their operation. Numerous authors have extensively studied these factors; however, the urban environment has its unique characteristics. This study aims to conduct a narrative review of the most common and influential urban factors that impact the operation of PV modules and explore potential mitigation strategies. Based on preliminary knowledge on the topic, a methodology was proposed according to which they are classified into two categories: those enhanced by the urban environment and those specific to it. A total of 97 studies, mostly from the last decade, were selected based on the relevance and impact criteria. Shading, soiling, and snow were analyzed in an urban context, followed by different urban-specific factors, such as the urban landscape, pollution, and the limitations of PV mounting spots, which can lead to more than 50% performance losses. The performed review also identified the key and most promising approaches for mitigation of the abovementioned factors, such as electrostatic dust cleaning and forward bias current snow removal. Furthermore, recommendations for urban landscape planning were made in the context of PV integration. This review could also be useful for designers and operators of urban PV facilities by providing them with basic guidelines for their optimization.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4826/6/2/23PV performanceurban environmentfactorsmitigationurban landscape |
| spellingShingle | Katerina G. Gabrovska-Evstatieva Dimitar T. Trifonov Boris I. Evstatiev A Review of the Key Factors Influencing the Performance of Photovoltaic Installations in an Urban Environment Electricity PV performance urban environment factors mitigation urban landscape |
| title | A Review of the Key Factors Influencing the Performance of Photovoltaic Installations in an Urban Environment |
| title_full | A Review of the Key Factors Influencing the Performance of Photovoltaic Installations in an Urban Environment |
| title_fullStr | A Review of the Key Factors Influencing the Performance of Photovoltaic Installations in an Urban Environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Review of the Key Factors Influencing the Performance of Photovoltaic Installations in an Urban Environment |
| title_short | A Review of the Key Factors Influencing the Performance of Photovoltaic Installations in an Urban Environment |
| title_sort | review of the key factors influencing the performance of photovoltaic installations in an urban environment |
| topic | PV performance urban environment factors mitigation urban landscape |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4826/6/2/23 |
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