Effect of chitosan coating on the efficiency and degradation of solar panels

Abstract

The effect of an optically optimized chitosan coating on the performance of solar panels was intensively investigated. precisely, the extent to which the efficiency and the degradation of solar panels were influenced by the chitosan coating, has been discussed. The solar panels were coated with the chitosan thin films under optically optimized conditions i.e spin coating speed of 4000rpm, 1% w/v concentration and annealing temperature of 200C. The samples were exposed outside and their degradation investigated as a function of time for a period of six months. Chitosan improved the efficiency of solar panels by 4.5% just after coating and lowered their degradation rate by 0.56% p.a