Design and Development of Solar Panel Cleaning System

Abstract

Solar energy is the most abundant source of energy for all the forms of life on the planet Earth. It is also the basic source for all the sources of energy except Nuclear Energy. But the solar technology has not matured to the extent of the conventional sources of energy. It faces lots of challenges such as high cost, erratic and unpredictable in nature, need for storage and low efficiency. This project aims at increasing the efficiency of solar power plants by solving the problem of accumulation of dust on the surface of solar panel which leads to reduction in plant output and overall plant efficiency. It proposes to develop a Solar Panel Cleaning System which could remove the accumulated dust on its surface on a regular basis and maintain the solar power plant output. The system is a robotic system which could move autonomously on the surface of solar panels by using pneumatic suction cups and use dry methods for cleaning such as rotating cylindrical brush and vacuum cleaning system keeping in mind the limited availability of water in areas where such plants are mainly located. This project also aims to reduce the human involvement in the process of solar panel cleaning as it is a very hazardous environment for them in scorching sun