Why Should I Clean My Solar Panels With Cleaning Robots? - Robsys
Why Should I Clean My Solar Panels With Cleaning Robots? - Robsys
Solar panels create a sustainable and renewable energy source by using the heat and light from the sun. It helps to reduce the costs arising from the use of electricity by converting the energy it produces into electrical energy. Since solar panels are on the roofs of houses, vacant lots or open areas, dust, mud and pollen stick on the panels over time. In order to get maximum efficiency from the solar panel and to prolong its life, it is necessary to clean it periodically. As Robsys team, we will answer the question of why solar panel cleaning should be done with a solar panel cleaning robot in detail in this article, and we will also include information about Robsys robots.
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Why is Solar Panel Cleaning Important?
The lifetime of solar panels is 25 years on average, depending on the build quality, workmanship and area of use. If you do not clean the solar panel during this process, the electricity efficiency you receive will decrease from year to year.
Solar Power Plant (SPP) requires regular cleaning to increase its efficiency. Solar panels, the pores on them, absorb the heat and light they receive from the sun and convert them into electricity. Dirty and dusty surface prevents the panel from generating power. In order for the panels to produce rated power, dust, dirt, pollen and various filth must not adhere to their surfaces. Unwanted impurities may cause malfunction of the panel if not cleaned for a long time.
Periodical cleaning is required in order to obtain high efficiency from the solar panel and to prevent the damages that may arise from pollution. Ionized pure water should be used during regular cleaning, chemical cleaners and pressurized water should not be preferred.
During Solar panel cleaning, the panels should not be stepped on. If micro cracks occur on the panels, water and other liquids that may enter inside may cause major problems in the plant.
GES Cleaning Robots
With the GES cleaning robots that we developed as the Robsys team, we produce professional solutions to increase energy efficiency and ensure sustainability in GES power plants. Since we attach great importance to the original, functional and technological designs of the solutions we develop, we produce innovative and high-capacity robots. You can use sustainable energy resources more efficiently with our Robsys RTM Series, YTM Series and DTM Series solar panel cleaning robot models.
The RTM series cleaning robots, our final product, produced by our R&D team as a result of hard work, offer effective and easy cleaning with a daily cleaning capacity of 1-3MW and a remote control. Its 2 bi-directional systems allow you to perform detailed cleaning without damaging the panels. With battery and electric model options, you can easily clean the solar energy panels on the roof, ground, garden and all projects.
Our YTM Series cleaning machines It is produced for fixed projects. With its strong structure and high cleaning capacity, it can clean an area of 2-4 MW per day. YTM series solar panel cleaning robot models provide easy use with its remote control feature, and it is suitable for every model panel with its water and waterless operation feature. Although it is produced for projects, it is light and portable with an average weight of 80-120 kg.
DTM series cleaning robots have a vertical working system. It is compatible with all solar panel systems and this model has a compact system integrated with pure water. DTM series cleaning robots, which are most preferred for cleaning solar panels in roofs, open areas and vertical installations, have the feature of working with and without water.
Solar Panel Cleaning Robot Prices
You can use robots for panel cleaning to get high efficiency from solar panels installed for solar energy, which is a sustainable and renewable energy source. With Robsys solar panel cleaning robots, you can increase your electricity efficiency while reducing your costs. Solar panel cleaning robot prices vary according to the class and features of the robots.
Solar Panel Cleaning and the Importance of Preventative Maintenance
There are several challenges, mainly due to the area where the cleaning is needed. For example, in Saudi Arabia, there are a lot of sandstorms. Therefore, the panels need to be dry cleaned almost every day.
Solar Panel Cleaning and the Importance of Preventative Maintenance
Q&A with Romain Gourmet | SolarCleano
Tell us about yourself and SolarCleano.
My name is Romain and I am from Belgium. I have worked at SolarCleano for more than 3 years with the current position of sales manager. We have the chance at Solarcleano to have a team talking at least 10 languages and working in more than 55 countries.
SolarCleano is a dynamic young company created in , by a cleaner and an engineer. The idea of SolarCleano was that cleaners needed a more efficient way than the manual cleaning used for solar arrays. At first, the company was developed thanks to our customers feedbacks from Germany and France. 5 years later, more than 500 robots can be found all around the world.
Link to Trinabot
In order to answer every cleaner’s needs, we developed a large range of products, from the smallest, the M1, to the biggest robot, the B1. All our robots can be equipped with different kinds of brushes and can work with or without water, which proves that our main objective is to always satisfy our customers interests.
Share with us why keeping solar panels clean is so important?
The main reason is the loss of efficiency. The loss of efficiency cannot be always felt, but on large scale facilities, a gap is easily made between the cost of electricity and the declining performance due to soiling.
F1 robot for wet and dry solar panel cleaning with a camera for safe remote operation
When a solar panel is not correctly maintained, its durability can heavily decrease. As well, the shadow made by the soiling can create hotspots, which is a small point of shadow that makes the cells of the panel explode.
Why do you think cleaning solar panels has been a widely overlooked task to this point?
At the beginning of the solar industry, the belief was that “rain does the job”. Meaning that it was not necessary to clean the solar panels. We can compare the solar panel with a car; if the car is left outside every day, it remains dirty, even with the rain.
The issue is that most solar panel facilities are relatively new, most of them were built within the last 10 years. After 5 years, we realized that soiling began to appear on the panels, followed by the loss of efficiency.
We came to the conclusion that a lot of negligence can cause major performance problems.
What are the challenges with solar panel cleaning?
There are several challenges, mainly due to the area where the cleaning is needed. For example, in Saudi Arabia, there are a lot of sandstorms. Therefore, the panels need to be dry cleaned almost every day. On the other hand, in the islands of England, or in northern Europe, there are many bird droppings, which means that the panels require to be cleaned with water and powerful brushes. In the countries with a high level of humidity, the soiling may be very sticky. In this case, the cleaners must adapt their brushes according to the situation.
One of the biggest challenges is the mindset of people thinking that solar panels don’t need to be cleaned. While more and more countries understand the matter of cleaning, there are still areas where it is not practiced.
How is SolarCleano responding to these challenges?
Thanks to our client feedbacks and experience we have the opportunity to adapt ourselves, our robots and our brushes. For instance, our products are not the same in South Africa than in Canada. Moreover, the advices given to our customers also change according to their area.
As our objective is to inform about the necessity of solar cleaning, we try to organize as many trade missions, roadshows and demonstrations as possible. We also participate in a lot of conferences around the world.
Why have you chosen to develop robotic solutions over other options?
There are many ways to clean a solar panel. A person can do it manually, with a brush, but these solar arrays are not very secured in every situation and can cause injury. As well there is also a rail system for cleaning, which can easily be attached to the panels. It is safe, fast and cheap, but it can only work on ground installations. Finally, it is possible to set brushes on a tractor, which is only useful on big facilities on the ground.
The key value of our robot is that it can be used in any given situation. It is safe, fast and useful on any kind of facility.
Why robotic cleaning is important in the preventive maintenance of solar fields?
Preventive maintenance with robots helps to avoid disasters and negative consequences on the solar panels. The main goal of preventive maintenance is to also avoid performance loss and damages on the panels.
The robots allow all of it to be done quickly and safely. We are currently developing digital tools with an AI to collect data.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Solar Module Cleaning Robot. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
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