SunBrush develop robotic solution for commercial rooftop solar system cleaning

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Mechanically simple technology designed to maximise utility-scale solar module yield with the removal of soiling will underly SunBrush mobil Germany’s build of a robotic solution for commercial rooftop solar systems, destined for the Australian market once complete.

Attending All Energy 2024 in Melbourne to support a Newcastle, New South Wales-based distributor SunBrush Australia, SunBrush mobil Germany founder and Chief Executive Officer Franz Ehleuter told pv magazine the robotic system will be operated by radio control.

“There will be a lifter to place it on a rooftop and it will operate by radio control, and the controller will have a view of the cleaning process via built in cameras,” Ehleuter said.

“It will be a wet and dry cleaning solution but normally it will be wet cleaning.”

On display at All Energy was the SunBrush TrackFlex utility-scale solar cleaning solution, capable of cleaning 10,000 square meters per hour.

“The important thing is that a solution must be easy and flexible, so you can mount the Sunbrush on any tractor, excavator, or liftes, which gives a good view of the cleaning process as you go,” Ehleuter said.

“We can also make different sized brushes from two metres up to 7.5 metres long, whatever a client needs and depending on the type of soiling on the panels, these brushes clean wet or dry.”

The variable swivel brush’s roller contact pressure on a modules surface is managed hydraulically using an intuitive joystick, regulated automatically during washing despite topography of surrounding ground surface.

Desert and agricultural dust such as ammonia deposits which can cause up to 30% yield losses, bird droppings and snow are contaminants easily removed with the system.

Regardless of the orientation or angle of inclination of the modules, the SunBrush TrackFlex can adapt using an articulated boom and the brush is flexible to move in any direction, including on vertical and hard-to-reach surfaces.

“We have no sensors, we have a very clever, simple mechanical technology but it is so helpful in a solar park outside, particularly where sensors can be damaged, so we opted for a simple solution for the cleaning,” Ehleuter said.

For high tables, narrow aisles and obstructive cross bars, a mini exacavator can be used to clean tables up to 10 metres deep without driving empty, as the system can be rotated 180 degrees and continues cleaning in the opposite direction.

Another product in the pipeline is the SunBrush E-agle, which will be able to be placed on the back of a pick-up truck for ease of moving between multiple, adjacent solar farms, and is made from a light-weight, recycled aluminium.

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