A Low-Cost Autonomous Cleaning System for Photovoltaic Arrays

摘要

In recent years, installation of photovoltaic arrays has increased significantly worldwide driven by attractive incentives and reduced prices. However, the efficiency of the photovoltaic panels is negatively impacted by deposits of dust and dirt on their surface. Manual cleaning is highly labor-intensive, costly and uses excessive amounts of water. To address these shortcomings, an autonomous system is proposed to clean photovoltaic panels. It is based on two interconnected motorized structures that move along the surface of the PV panels to ensure that all sections are cleaned. A sensor network provides feedback on various aspects of the cleaning process. Tests showed that the proposed system can result in a gain of about 22% in daily average power output after three weeks of operation compared to a normal photovoltaic system.