Design and Fabrication of Low Cost Automatic Cleaning Module for Solar PV Systems

Abstract

The Solar PV modules are usually engaged in dusty environments which are the condition in many tropical countries like India. The dirt gets hoarded on the superficial of the PV module and chunks the photons from the sun. It decreases the generation ability of the PV module. The power output decreases the efficiency, if the PV module is not cleaned for a long time. In order to habitually clean the dust, an automatic cleaning system has been proposed, which senses the light energy from the sun on the solar panel and also cleans the PV module automatically. This system is realized with PIC16F877A microcontroller which controls the geared servo motor. This system consists of a sensor (LDR) to make it dusk to dawn. While for cleaning the PV modules, a mechanism consists of a sliding wipers has been developed. In earlier machinery, cleaning of PV panels was done manually. But here the PV panels has been cleaned by automatic system i.e. wiping mechanism with water flow for effective cleaning