Battery-powered autonomous robot for cleaning of dusty photovoltaic panels in desert zones

Abstract

Storms in desert areas cause sand accumulation on the surface of photovoltaic panels so producing a decrease in the electrical conversion efficiency per day of solar farms ranging from about 0.6% up to 80%. Hence, continuous activities for cleaning the photovoltaic panels are required in total absence of water and under severe environmental conditions for the workers. In this communication we present a 12 V battery-powered autonomous robot for cleaning of dusty photovoltaic panels. The cleaning strategy adopts two helical brushes placed in front of and behind the robot. According to the robot movement direction, the forward brushes remove the sand until it falls out from the photovoltaic panels. The robot has been conceived to be moved as a half-track equipped with two independent rubber belts powered by two DC motors. The electronic on-board control system is based on ARDUINO DUE platform and employs ultrasonic sensors providing the real-time effective position of the robot, the movement regulations as well its direction and speed.