Dirty solar panels reduce global solar energy output as much as 5 per cent, but a start-up in Israel has tested drone delivery of a new autonomous robot to clean rooftop arrays
Technology
27 January 2023
The Pleco cleaning robot uses rotating brushes to clean dust off solar panels BladeRanger
Every day the dust settles on thousands of square kilometres of solar panels around the world, cutting the amount of electricity they produce. A robot designed by an Israeli start-up can autonomously clean rooftop solar panels that other cleaning robots can’t access, increasing the panels’ electricity generation by as much as 15 per cent.
Autonomous robots are widely used to clean large-scale solar arrays on the ground. Many work by sliding along rails to wipe dust, bird …
Source link In a world where sustainability and eco-friendliness is increasingly gaining importance, one of the latest innovations in the array of technological advances is the solar panel cleaning robot. The robot can be dropped off and picked up by drones and it is set to revolutionize the way solar panels are maintained and operated.
This robot is specifically designed to assist in maintaining the solar panel function and to ensure that it runs optimally. It is equipped with carefully crafted features such as a 25-degree angle brush that is used to effectively scrub away dirt and debris from the panel’s surface. The machine’s soft brush attachment is also designed to prevent any bend or damage to the solar panel’s surface.
The robot is run by a rechargeable battery that can deliver up to four hours of autonomous cleaning and operate up to 23 foot per minute. In addition, it is capable of learning the environment and avoid any potential obstacles when cleaning.
Notably, the solution is cost effective as the payload capability of the drone allows the machine to be dropped off and picked up without the need for additional human labor. This helps to substantially reduce operational costs associated with maintaining and running solar systems.
Solar panel cleaning robots is set to significantly reduce cost while pepping up the Optimization of Solar systems. As machines are gradually replacing humans in certain tasks, the solar panel cleaning robot is hoped to create a benchmark on how energy management is to be maintained.
