Impact of Urban Air Pollution and Climatic Factors on Photovoltaic Performance: A Comparative Modelling Study Across Major Indian Cities
Abstract: Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems play an important role in India's transition towards renewable energy. However, their performance can be significantly influenced by environmental conditions that vary across different urban regions. This study investigates the impact of urban pollution and climatic conditions on photovoltaic efficiency in four Indian cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, and Bangalore. The research sought to answer three primary questions: (1) How do climatic variables such as temperature, humidity, solar irradiation, sunshine hours, and cell temperature affect PV efficiency? (2) How does urban air pollution, represented by PM2.5 concentrations, influence photovoltaic performance? (3) How do these relationships differ across cities with varying climatic and pollution conditions? To address these questions, I collected monthly environmental and photovoltaic and analysed them for each city over a one-year period. The study examined average temperature, PM2.5 concentration, solar irradiation, humidity, sunshine hours, cell temperature, and photovoltaic efficiency. A comparative modelling approach was used to evaluate both baseline PV efficiency and pollution-adjusted PV efficiency, while graphical and comparative analyses were performed to identify relationships between environmental variables and solar panel performance. The results showed that baseline PV efficiency remained relatively stable between 17.52% and 17.85%, whereas pollution-adjusted efficiency varied from 13.37% to 17.34%. Delhi experienced the highest PM2.5 concentration (237.4 µg/m3) and the greatest reduction in pollution-adjusted efficiency (13.37%), while Bangalore consistently recorded the highest overall performance, achieving a maximum pollution-adjusted efficiency of 17.34% due to its lower pollution levels and moderate climate. The study concludes that urban air pollution has a greater impact on effective photovoltaic performance than temperature or humidity alone, although all environmental variables contribute to variations in efficiency. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating local pollution and climatic conditions into photovoltaic system planning, enabling more accurate energy predictions and supporting the efficient deployment of solar energy systems in rapidly urbanising regions of India.
Keywords: Photovoltaic Efficiency, Urban Air Pollution (PM2.5), Solar Irradiation, Climatic Factor
How to Cite?: Varenyaa Jain, "Impact of Urban Air Pollution and Climatic Factors on Photovoltaic Performance: A Comparative Modelling Study Across Major Indian Cities", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 887-894, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261006131624, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261006131624