How Do They Keep Solar Panels Clean?

A dirty solar panel can lose up to 35% of its output, but it’s a big job keeping them clean –especially when some installations contain thousands of the things.

One Israeli firm came up with a solution by designing a special robotic panel cleaning system specifically for photovoltaic solar panels. The firm, Ecoppia, said that its commercially-deployed E4 robotic cleaning system has now cleaned over one million panels.

Ecoppia said that itsE4 robots are autonomous, energy-independent and don’t use any water. Instead, they use a soft microfiber-and-controlled-air flow cleaning system that the company said can remove 99% of accumulated dust each day.

That’s a good thing, since Ecoppia points out that the accumulation of dirt and dust on photovoltaic solar panel surfaces is a major impediment to their efficiency – often robbing the systems of up to 35% of their potential for producing electricity.

Since PV solar systems only work at peak efficiency during certain parts of the day, any loss in output can greatly diminish the value of large commercial solar plants. It’s a good thing that there are robots on the job.