Dust particle accumulation on solar panels leads to significant degradation of the system’s efficiency. Moreover for getting unobstructed exposure to solar energy, these are often located atop tall buildings or in remote areas. So, cleaning these panels is not an easy job.
Now, Israeli drone manufacturer Airobotics has collaborated with Israeli solar farm services company Solar Drone to develop a solar panel cleaning drone system.
It will include a quadcopter housed inside a weatherproof docking station. Located near the solar panels to be cleaned, it will be a fully automated system.
Technologies like LiDAR sensors and mapping cameras help the drone to align itself above each panel. Then it will spray cleaning fluid one by one on the panels. After completing the cleaning task, the drone will land back on the docking station.
The drone system will then replace its battery with one that’s freshly charged if required. It will also replace its cleaning fluid tank with one that’s full.
“Today’s solutions are unwieldy, uneconomical, and unable to cope with modern solar farms. We believe the entry of Airobotics’ drone technology into the market is a game-changer, with significant economic potential,” said Shmuel Yanai, Solar Drone Founder.
