Self-powered, dry-cleaning robot for solar panels

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From pv magazine India

India’s Enray Solutions has developed a self-powered, easy-to-use robot for water-free cleaning of ground-mount solar installations. The robot is built for harsh, dusty environments, and the company claims it can lead to a generation increase of up to 7% compared to periodic wet cleaning.

The robot doesn’t require any external power supply, as it is powered by an onboard monocrystalline solar panel and lithium battery with a control box. It is cloud-enabled and can sense weather to work accordingly.

An all-metallic body and aluminium components make the robot robust and lightweight at the same time. The industrial trolley-based design of the dock with height and tilt adjustment mechanism allows for the cleaning of multiple, misaligned arrays without lifting the robot. This eliminates the mishandling of the robot while shifting between arrays.

The robot easily travels without any rails and cleans itself while docking. A silicon coating on the wheels provides a cushion between it and the PV modules, preventing physical damage to the solar panels.

Cloud connectivity also allows the Enray team to centrally control and monitor the robot’s performance and update its software from time to time. The team has installed the robot for Indian clients such as Adani, NTPC, Tata Power, and Vikram Solar.

Author: Uma Gupta

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