A new type of protective coating for solar panels that could help prevent desert dust collecting on them has been tested at the University of Bahrain (UoB).

One of the main issues with the use of solar panels in the Middle East is the high levels of maintenance required to keep them dust-free and working at maximum capacity.

The Gulf Daily News, our sister publication, had reported last month that a solar-powered streetlight project being piloted by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) in Hidd had been beset with maintenance issues due to the high levels of dust accumulating on the panels.

But Bahrain-based consultant Terry Bevan believes a new coating developed by his employer, US-based nanotechnology multinational Nanolia, could hold the answer.

Nanolia Glass HPi is a so-called "hydrophilic" (water-attracting) protective coating for glass and other similar surfaces that has undergone testing at the UoB on solar panels installed on its campus.

"The research shows that a HPi-treated panel produces more power than a similar factory-treated panel when both were subjected to layers of dust, which is an important factor given Bahrain's climate," said Bevan.

Over a six-month study period, three identical solar panels were tested and the ones treated with the HPi product showed a nine per cent increase in energy output, the consultant said.

"Independently-verified calculations show that when this product is applied to a project the size of Bapco's 20,000 sq m solar panel installation, the value of the additional power output is approximately BD500,000 ($1.3 million) per year," he added.

"The treatment lasts around two years - even in Bahrain's hot climate - and its cost over that time is approximately 15 per cent of the value of the additional power."

Minister of State for Electricity and Water Affairs Dr Abdulhussain Mirza welcomed Nanolia's efforts to improve the efficiency of solar-energy projects in Bahrain, but said a number of factors needed to be taken into consideration before a product could start being used by the ministry.

"The government encourages any project or product related to solar energy," he said.

"We have solar energy panels already installed in three areas across the country and therefore Bevan should contact officials at these places to study the product's benefits and whether it is feasible or not.

"Sometimes a product looks promising but what really counts in the end is how technicians see the product, because there are many factors that measure a treatment's efficiency."

The GDN reported on Tuesday that work was due to start on a 12,000-sq m power plant for solar and wind energy in southern Bahrain.

The plant, near Al Dur Power and Water Plant, forms part of the EWA's efforts to develop renewable energy sources - and is set to be linked to Bahrain's power-distribution grid by early next year.-TradeArabia News Service