SolarWash: First Automated Cleaning Solution for Solar Panels

This seems like quite the gimmick. The nozzles have the pressure of a standard garden hose.

If this system worked to "clean" the solar panels and actually made a bit of difference, there would be no need for carwashes. Rain would be more sufficient than this overengineered solution.

If all it took was a nice sprinkle to elude the surface of all dirt and grime, why not let mother nature rain on them?

Seems like a waste of water to me. If they were manually scrubbed you'd end up using less water, plus that wont get everything off so someone with still every now and then have to go up and scrub off what wont rinse off.

to: Andrew

While that letting mother nature handle the problem is a good thought, many places where solar arrays are most useful are places that get very little rain which in turn results in the presence of a ton of dust and grime.

I think this might be more of a convenience thing rather than an environmental thing. It would definitely be cheaper to just get out there and do it yourself if you have a residential system. However, if you have a 400kw system, it could take hours to wash while wasting gallons and gallons of water.

Is there some sort of retrieval mechanism for the used water? Recirculating the water after cleaning all of the crud out of it might be a good idea.

Glad that people are getting alert to how the panels' efficiency drops when they're dirty.
I keep my FV's in a "fake roof" near the ground also because it's easier and more efficient to clean (with a sponge and bucket) and maintain them.

to Andrew: From the research that we did on rain cleaning we found that less than .2 of an inch made the problem worse. This system is actually for larger commericial systems where the loss of power makes it an attractive alternative to hand cleaning and the safety aspect of sending employees up on a roof would add to the cost of washing. Also this is a web based system and a PV plant operator can initiate a cleaning from anywhere in the world.

We have seen the demo and the spray pattern was missing the top corners on all the panels. Hope they solved that issue. We also had concerns of cold temps, and the 4 different cleaning cycles it requires. They now have nano coatings that mimic Teflon that creates an almost self cleaning effect. This would help with the difficult contaminants like tree sap and bird residue .They also must condition the water or spotting will occur.

Isn't laziness how we got here in the first place?

No it isn't laziness, fool. If a 1Mw plant has to send a diesel truck with a telescopic arm and a crew of 3 to clean all of the 400 panels, how much do you think that costs?
How much diesel is wasted?

Solar power plants are mainly placed in dusty deserts, so this makes sense.

To Mark: Yes adding additional spray nozzels will catch the corners. This was a "first shot" of the system in action and "tweeking" is an easy fix. The Nano technology that you referenced, Both our companies met at the Google CleanTech and we will most likely work together on system installations. The Nano coating still requires water to move the debris off the surface.

this looks like a really good idea. Won't have to pay a guy to go up there and clean them. And if he falls, then the company would be paying his medical bills too!!!!

Sounds like a great idea. I own a window cleaning company and the cost to clean panels can add up quick. If this system ran DI water or filtered water with less than 10ppm total disolved solids than it would carry most of the contaminates away with it and you would not have to worry about spotting. If it were my system I would run it every other week and possibly weekly in other areas and depending on the season.

One question that has not been answered is the water thats sprayed will leave some mineral residue that may reduce the power from the panels moreover in a dusty climate water sprayed may attract dust on it again creating stains

only distilled water or de-menaralized water can be used and applied only when wind velocity is at minimum

This system raises more questions than it answers:
- How much water will this system consume over one year per square meter?
- Could the water be recycled?
- What are the environmental impacts of this system, regarding water and detergent use?
- How effective is this low pressure system capable of cleaning some dirts such as bird droppings, salt deposits?
- If water demineralization water is necessary, what is the return on investment?
- What is the total energy required compared to the energy produced by the panels (reducing system efficiency)?
- What is the trade-off point between panel efficiency and cleaning frequency?
- Could the system evaluate the actual efficiency of the solar panels before deciding to engage in unnecessary automatic cleaning?
- Doesn't properly planned manual cleaning use much less water for a better result?

Yea, Nice try but lets talk real world..

For our array we need Agitation.. IE Window brush. You can spray water all day long but Ash from the Fires in So-Cal will not simply wash away.. Also .. This is a Sprinkler system not a Auto wash system .. Water or chemicals are simply not enough to remove the Ash, Dirt, Smog, and grim in real world applications..

Keep up the good work.. But make something that has a Brush for Dirt removal..
You cannot simply spray water all over the dirt.