Solar Panel Cleaning Robot
As climate change and global warming threaten the future of our planet, it is becoming
increasingly crucial to find sustainable ways to fulfill our energy requirements. One of the
most efficient ways of moving towards renewable and non-polluting energy sources is to
generate electricity using solar panels to harness the sun’s energy.
Since they have no moving parts, solar panels are one of the most cost-effective and low-
maintenance ways of generating.
Despite all their benefits, the efficiency of solar panels can plummet if dust, dirt, and grime
are allowed to accumulate. If maximum efficiency in power generation is to be maintained,
solar panels need to be cleaned timely. However, manually cleaning solar panels is
hazardous and time-consuming.
This Solar Panel Cleaning Robot aims to maintain the efficiency of Solar power production by
making sure the Solar panels are kept clean without putting humans at risk.
This robot comes equipped with a roller brush and a water sprayer to clean all dirt and
grime from the surface of the panels. The sprayer gets its supply of water through an
onboard tank. The rubber caterpillar tracks ensure that this robot can adhere to the slick
surface of solar panels. This robot operates remotely and wirelessly.
Along with large-scale industrial applications such as dedicated solar power plants, this
robot can also help boost the efficiency of solar panels in smaller applications such as
rooftop solar panels in homes and offices.
Features of Solar Panel Cleaning Robot:
Maintains efficiency of solar panels by keeping them clean.
Remote and wireless operation ensures workers aren’t put in danger
Roller brush cleans all dust, dirt, grime, and debris.
Equipped with water sprayer supplied with onboard water tank.
Compact, portable, and user-friendly design.
The solar panel cleaner robot makes use of a water tank with motorized pump along with 4x
DC motors to achieve vehicle motion using caterpillar wheel motion. The robotic vehicle is
built over a metal chassis with a controller circuitry operated over RF wireless remote.
A remote controller is used to wirelessly transmit control movement data to the robotic
vehicle. The controller receives the data and operates the wheel motors in desired
directions to achieve the desired movement. The front brush is fixed to the main chassis
front and operated by a geared DC motor. The front panel also has an integrated water pipe
that is used to drive water for cleaning using a dc pump to the front of the brush. The
system thus allows for easy solar panel cleaning using wireless control.
Components:
Robotic Chassis
DC Motors
Wheels
Rubber Tracks
Pump Motor
Water Tank
Piping
Controller Circuitry
RF Remote
Motor Shafts
Mounts & Couplings
Screws & Bolts
Supporting Frame
Applications:
Large scale solar power producing plants
Rooftop solar panels at homes and offices
Advantages:
Maintains efficiency of solar panels by keeping them clean.
Remote and wireless operation ensures workers aren’t put in danger
Roller brush cleans all dust, dirt, grime, and debris.
Equipped with water sprayer supplied with onboard water tank.
Compact, portable, and user-friendly design.
Disadvantages:
Not entirely autonomous, requires human operators.
Block Diagram:
Front View
Side View
3D View
