An Australian-based company called Solar Energy Robotics has developed what it calls “the only automatic solar panel cleaner designed to perform in even the harshest mine site conditions.”
The technology aims to keep solar panels online for long periods of time, allowing people and businesses who harvest clean renewable energy from the sun to maximize their benefits.
Solar panels work by absorbing energy from the sun, but in order to do their job they need to be kept clean.
When a solar panel becomes covered with dust, dirt, and grime (which can happen quickly since solar panels are necessarily installed outdoors), sunlight cannot penetrate at the same rate and the panel absorbs more It means that you will not be able to do it. That much energy.
This means solar panels need to be cleaned regularly, a task currently performed primarily by humans. Depending on where you install the panels, it can be expensive, labor intensive, and even dangerous. Solar Energy Robotics went a step further, stating that it is a “very unpleasant and frightening task for skilled workers to perform on a regular basis.”
The company also noted that manual cleaning methods using water or a broom can damage solar panels, causing cracks and wear.
The company says its solution is an autonomous solar cleaning robot it has developed. ASCR is completely autonomous, uses no water (it uses soft nylon brushes instead), and can be permanently attached to solar arrays. Even better, the robot itself is powered by solar power.
Solar Energy Robotics says its autonomous solar cleaning robots can save users 70% of costs compared to regular manual cleaning.
The company currently supplies autonomous solar cleaning robots to mine operators in Australia, and has been in operation since 2018, according to its website.
But it's not hard to imagine this kind of technology spreading to other solar panels around the world, and one day even making it easier for homeowners to maintain their own rooftop solar panels.
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