Modeling and design of low-cost automatic self cleaning mechanism for standalone micro PV systems

Abstract

Renewable energy with adequate utilization can quickly contribute towards the human development and economic sustainability of a country. Solar energy shares a major portion of renewable energy resources and is rapidly becoming a reliable and affordable solution to overcome energy crisis in underdeveloped countries. The solar Photovoltaic (PV) module technology is steadily improving with fast demand from different sectors ranging from home, office, agriculture and industries. The environmental effects on the modules in the form of dust accumulation in countries with high irradiance severely affect energy transmittance and further adds to the overall power loss. The low-cost micro PV systems (≪5 kW) offered in these countries are further effected by the lack of autonomous cleaning system, resulting in significant drop in the power efficiency. Here, we have developed an Automatic Self Cleaning Mechanism (ASCM), which is cost-effective, efficient and only accounts for 10-15% of the actual installation cost of the PV module. The experimental performance comparison of ASCM shows a 35% enhancement in the output efficiency by avoiding the impact of solar degradation without its use. The designed solution provides an affordable, low-cost automated self cleaning mechanism for micro PV modules.