In a hot and dry area, which of the following is NOT a common issue for an underperforming PV array?

In a hot and dry area, common issues that contribute to an underperforming photovoltaic (PV) array include soiling—where dust and debris accumulate on the solar panels, reducing their efficiency—and voltage loss due to variations in wire size and length.

However, the string size being too short typically does not affect the performance in the same way. A short string configuration would generally mean fewer panels in series, which may lower the overall voltage but does not inherently lead to the same types of performance degradation that longer strings can experience. Longer strings, for example, may incur more voltage drop and are more susceptible to issues such as shading or mismatch losses when panels are not perfectly matched in performance.

Thus, in the context of this question, a short string size might be less likely to cause significant underperformance compared to the more pressing issues presented by voltage loss and soiling in the specific hot and dry environment described.