VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Jnana Sangama, Belagavi, Karnataka – 590018

TECHNICAL SEMINAR
on
“CURRENT PRACTICES OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PANEL CLEANING
SYSTEM”
Report Submitted in Partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
IN
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION
Submitted by
VINAY KK [1JV19EC009]

Under the guidance of

Prof. MANJU.H,
Assistant Professor,
Department of E&C Engg,
JVIT, Bidadi - 562109

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

JNANAVIKAS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Vidya Soudha, Padmashree G.D. Goyalgi Campus, Bangalore-Mysore Highway
BIDADI, BANGALORE – 562109
2021-22
 VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, BELAGAVI
JNANAVIKAS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
BANGALORE-MYSORE HIGHWAY, BIDADI – 562 109
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

Certified that the Technical Seminar Report Submitted by VINAY KK, (1JV19EC009), a Bonafide
student of Jnana Vikas Institute of Technology, Bidadi in partial fulfilment for the award of
Bachelor of Engineering in electronics and communication Engineering of the Visvesvaraya
Technological University, Belagavi during the year 2023-2024.

Signature of guide, Signature of HOD, Signature of Principal

Prof. ABHISHEK N, Prof. MANJU H, Dr. A V SEETHA GIRISHA,
Assistant professor Prof. & Head Principal
Dept. of E&C Engg. Dept. of E&C
Engg.

Name of the Examiners Signature with Date

1.

2.

3.

DECLARATION
 I am VINAY KK (1JV19EC009), student of the 8th semester

Communication Engineering, JNANAVIKAS INSTITUTE OF

hereby declare that the Technical seminar report work entitled CURRENT PRACTICES OF

SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PANEL CLEANING SYSTEM

us and submitted in partial fulfillment of the course requirements

Bachelor of Engineering, from Visvesvaraya Technological University

record of an original work done by us under the guidance of MANJU H

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, JVIT, Bidadi. The

this work have not submitted to any other University or Institute for the award

VINAY KK
USN: 1JV19EC009
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering,
Jnana Vikas Institute of Technology
Bengaluru-562109
 ABSTRACT

Solar Photovoltaic System (SPV) is one of the growing green energy sources
having immense penetration in the national grid as well
globe. Regardless of different solar insolation level at various regions of the world,
SPV performance is also affected by several factors’ conversion
cell technology, ambient temperature and humidity, soiling and weather patterns.
The rise in PV cell temperature and soiling is found to be detrimental issues
regarding power plant performance and life expectancy
levelized cost of energy. In this work presents a short glance about
the performance of photovoltaic modules and re discuss their usability in
intervention decision making models. With some highlights
cleaning to mitigate the soiling issues in PV power plants, this work presents the
existing cleaning techniques and practices c along with their evaluations. The need
for an optimal cleaning intervention by using advanced scientific tools rather than by
visual inspection is drawing the attention of PV experts.

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 CONTENTS

SL.NO CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Literature review

3. Scope of the Work

4. Methodology

5. Results and Discussion

6. Conclusion

7. References

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 LIST OF FIGURES

SL.NO FIGURES PAGE NO

1. A typical block diagram of solar PV 6

system

2. Manual hand cleaning system 8

3. Linear piezoelectric system 9

4. Electro dynamics screen 10

5. Boson robotic panel cleaning system 11

6 Automatic water sprinkler 12

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 CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
A photovoltaic cell is the smallest unit which harnesses solar energy into the
electrical energy. The energy conversion efficiency of a solar cell is dependent on
semiconductor technology involved during the manufacturing process. Silicon-
based technology is the most commonly used technology whose conversion
efficiency ranges from 5 to 15%. With the rapid development of thin-film
semiconductor technology, the conversion efficiency of solar cells is increasing.
Every solar module has its specified output power at Standard Testing Condition
(STC); however, the exact operating condition of solar cell differs from that
specification and results in varying output power.

The performance of solar cells might also differ by some other site-specific
influencing parameters like temperature, humidity, dust density, air mass, panel
orientation. Additionally, these parameters might differ drastically in different
seasons. Different forms of precipitation, clouding, and wind also affect year
energy production from solar plants. Despite these factors, soiling is considered to
be one of the major issues which block solar cells and reduces energy conversion
efficiency directly. Moreover, dust accumulation most often leads to cell
temperature rise resulting in the decrement in the efficiency indirectly. Various
studies have concluded that there lies a nugatory effect of soiling on the output of
solar panels mostly explained reduced solar intensity and rise in cell temperature.
The effect of performance degradation in turn affects the economics of larger PV
plants more prominently thereby increasing the Levelised cost of energy. Different
dust preventing as well as cleaning technologies have been evolved ever since PV
plants have come into its use. Robotic cleaners, electrostatic removal, self-cleaning

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layer, automated water cleaning are the current technologies which have been
practiced so far and the selection of appropriate cleaning mechanism is a crucial
task for the specific plant size and location.

Beside the cleaning mechanism, the essence of the optimal time for cleaning is
a concern which needs to be dealt with since visual inspection for decision making
of cleaning shall not be appropriate in terms of energy economics. With the
advancement of data science and machine learning, their application for decision
making for cleaning operation can be a major leap in the advancement of solar PV
energy systems. Such an optimized cleaning decision would certainly help to
reduce the Levelized cost of energy.

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 CHAPTER-2
LITERATURE REVIEW
A number of researchers have worked on cleaning of solar panels and some of
the works carried out in the literature are discussed in this section.

E. Al-Qubaisi, M. Al-Ameri, et.al., [1] proposed a solution to reduce the

effect of shading and staining on photovoltaic (PV) modules on offshore platforms.
Knowledge of the negative consequences of this factor on the PV panels' output
has led to recognizing the importance of regular cleaning.

N. Khadka, A. Bista, B, et.al., [2] have explained the design and fabrication
process of a prototype able to clean the panel surface. The prototype of this system
comprises of a cleaning robot and a cloud interface: the cleaning robot is mobile
and able to clean the entire solar array back and forth, with its separately driven
cleaning rotatory brush; whereas, the cloud interface is a human-machine interface
featuring the distant monitoring and control of the robot.

F. A. Touati, M. A. Al-Hitmi, et.al., [3] studies the performance of

photovoltaic modules have shown that analysis of the effect of meteorological
parameters is crucial in prediction and evaluation of performances; and production
of solar systems.

M. Mazumder et.al., [4] explained about developments in Surface

Contamination and Cleaning: Methods for Removal of Particle Contaminants:
discusses the electrostatic removal of particles and its applications to self-cleaning
solar panels and solar concentrators. Potential applications of self-cleaning solar
panels in PV systems, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, are included, and
the economic advantage in payback for the added cost is examined in this chapter.

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Dust deposition on solar panels obscures solar flux, significantly reducing the
efficiency of the systems. An integrated electrodynamic screen (EDS) on each
solar panel can provide automatic and continuous removal of dust from solar
panels without requiring water or any moving parts.

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 M. K. Smith, C. C. Wamser, et.al., [5] have proposed soiling, bird droppings,
or the accumulation of dust on the surface of photovoltaic cells, can significantly
reduce the solar energy absorption and produce power losses. In solar plants where
soiling is a problem, solar facilities use demineralized or distilled water for
washing the panels to avoid mineral scale deposits that might interfere with solar
irradiance absorption.

X. Lu, Q. Zhang, et.al., [6] proposed linear piezoelectric actuator based solar
panel cleaning system is proposed in order to make a solar panel operate at the best
power generation state while the solar panel is used in dusty environment. A
piezoelectric actuator linearly moving on a guide is employed to drive a wiper
fixed on the actuator.

In summary, from brief literature survey conducted, it can be said that the
active cleaning methods are very effective for Levelized cost of energy. It is
suggested that for the large solar farms, solar panel cleaning shall only be done, if
the efficiency is reduced below the critical level and the investor must make sure
that the investment made on the cleaning purpose have a tolerable rate of return.
Further research and development on a decision-making model considering cost
worth evaluation are essential for the evolving solar panel cleaning technology.

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 CHAPTER-3
SCOPE OF THE WORK
This work reflects a complete capsule covering from the existing product/idea
based solar photovoltaic panel cleaning systems to the prospects that could
optimize the cleaning procedure. The work contributes a cleaning interval
scheduler schematic, which can be a starting point for further research in the
domain of PV systems. With regard to the articles reviewed, the suggested
decision-making framework encompasses the requirement of technical as well as
cost-based parameters in an automated solar PV panel cleaning system. This study
first introduces the trend of solar photovoltaic power generation in the global
context. An idea is presented about the influencing parameters for a particular PV
module and some of which can be useful while determining the cleaning
intervention. The review of different types of cleaning mechanisms adopted in the
current scenario, in addition to which, the evaluation along with their pros and
cons are discussed.

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 CHAPTER 4

METHODOLOGY
In this section, a complete explanation covering from the existing product/idea
based solar photovoltaic panel cleaning systems to the prospects that could
optimize the cleaning procedure.

4.1 Solar Photovoltaic System and Its Influential’s

Solar Photovoltaic system consists of PV modules connected appropriately to

form the solar arrays, and the combination of solar arrays form the generating unit.
The solar generating unit can be a single module to a large solar farm sizing
thousands of megawatts depending upon the requirement. Solar Photovoltaic
system is operated to its maximum power point, the point where adjusted
photovoltaic voltage with output current gives the maximum power output in that
particular instant, and the technology is normally termed as Maximum Power Point
Tracking (MPPT) system.

Fig.1: A typical block diagram of Solar PV system

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 A typical solar photovoltaic system with different kinds of loads: dedicated load,
battery energy storage system and interconnection with grid supply, are
collectively shown in Fig.1. Photovoltaic Systems with these various loads are
controlled with the programmed prioritization by a control system embedded
within the inverter unit. Different constraints are also shown along with the same
figure which affects the output power of the generating unit. These constraints
mostly include: the surrounding temperature, humidity, solar irradiance, panel
orientation, dust. Nonetheless, some variations might be observed in all of these
environmental factors collectively due to seasonal changes and weather
perturbations.

4.1.1 Environmental conditions and PV performance

A particular PV module is characterized based on Standard Testing Condition
(STC), and is considered to be a reference point from which the performance
would deviate concerning the environmental factors it is subjected to. The
atmospheric condition and the radiation profile vary from place to place, and the
performance of a solar PV plant in a particular place is solely dependent on such
environmental constraints. The changes observed in temperature, humidity and
solar radiation vary either of parameters: short circuit current (Isc) or open- circuit
voltage (Voc) or Fill Factor (FF) which in turn happen to decrease the maximum
power point from STC characterization. Solar radiation is the source of energy
harvest action, which is composed of energy carrying photons thereby releases
electron from PV cells through the photoelectric effect.

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4.1.2 Soiling issues
Atmospheric dust and soiling both happen to reduce the performance of solar
module. However, soiling is found to be more degrading one. Atmospheric dust is
likely to absorb the solar radiations which would otherwise hit on module surface
whereas soiling is an issue caused by the deposition of dust and other opaque
particles over the module surface.
4.2 Current technologies and practices of Solar panel cleaning
Megaprojects of energy generation from Solar PV panel can be built in semi-
arid or desert which receives plenty of solar radiation throughout the year. But
with higher possibility comes a bigger challenge. In these deserted places having a
higher concentration of atmospheric dust with seldom rain, soiling in the surface of
the panel is inevitable. For maximum harvesting of energy from solar cells,
cleaning of these panels is a must. Different manual and automatic technologies
are available for cleaning of the solar panel. Cleaning expenses in a solar plant
account for almost half of the O&M cost.

4.2.2 Current technologies

Rainwater has been a medium for a long time for cleaning of solar panels.
Harness of energy from sunlight is more from a clean panel which in return
generates more electricity. With the advancement in material science and robotics,
manual cleaning of the solar panel is slowly being eradicated. Much new
technology like EDS, Robots, cleaning kits is available to clean a panel effectively.
Some of the practices and technologies are discussed in the sub sections below:

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A. Manual cleaning: Different tools and techniques are available to clean the solar
panel manually by an operator. A cleaning kit is the most common manual
cleaning tools which include multiple extension poles, carrying bags, brushes,
cloths, hose connections, and more. Many companies produce manufacturing
brushes and hose system for cleaning of the solar panel and can be found readily in
the market. Fig.2. shows manual cleaning of the solar panel in Kathmandu
University Hospital with a cleaning kit by an operator. This method efficiently
cleans a panel but increasing the size of the solar plant size, it will be impossible to
clean manually as it increases O&M cost drastically requires large manpower.

Fig.2: Manual hand cleaning system

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B. Piezoelectric system: Piezoelectric actuators are being used in various optical
adjustments, biomedical manipulation, space explorations and other areas due to
higher torque to volume ratio, flexible structure and high positioning precision.
The acoustic piezoelectric system with water as a cleaning agent, spread 0.1 to 1
mm depth of water around the surface of the solar panel cleans during the
rarefaction cycle of the compression waves. For the medium of air, the mechanism
is similar to change in the cleaning medium only. Linear Piezoelectric actuator
based solar PV panel cleaning system has a proper pressure force between the
wiper and solar panel is adjusted where the actuator can drive the wiper to
effectively clean and wipe a dust layer by vibrating the dust away from the solar
panel’s surface. Fig.3. shows a linear piezoelectric system.

Fig.3: Linear Piezoelectric System

C. Electric curtain system: Places with dry dust can be dealt with a phenomenon
explained by the application of suitable electric field to the dust particles residing
on the module surface. Frequency of oscillation is set in such a way that dust
particle moves along the line of an electric field to one of the edges of the module
thereby cleaning the surface. Uncharged particles failing to form the electric
curtain are soon charged through either polarization or electrostatic induction
process and hence removed from the module. An Electro-Dynamic Screen (EDS)
is one of a kind which uses the same principle of standing wave-type electric
current.
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High voltage three phase electric source is used instead to form a travelling wave
with strong translational energy. The application of different phases to the
substrates of a module and respective lines of force is visualized in Fig.4.

Fig.4: Electrodynamic Screen

4.2.2.1 Self-cleaning mechanism: A translucent self-cleaning Nano-film can be

coated to the surface of a solar panel to avoid deposition of dust in the panel. The
self- cleaning Nano-film is made of super hydrophobicity material or
superhydrophobic material. In the super-hydrophobicity method, the rainwater gets
scattered throughout the solar module and cleaning the dust. Thus, this method is
not popular and various researches are going on. In case of super-hydrophobic
material, the water droplets quickly fall off carrying dust particles with them like in
the leaf of a lotus plant. Various researches are going on to realize super
hydrophobic surfaces by forming microstructures or nanostructures.

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 Robotic system: The robotic system is the most demanded technology in
comparison with all other technologies being discussed above since it has a wide
range of applicability in small as well as large PV systems. The robotic system
consists of actuators, drives, gears having some movement above the module
surfaces, and is a virtual operator which cleans the module even much better than
manual hand cleaning. Advancement in 3D printing, nanotechnology is aiding to
make very complex robots which can operate as efficiently as a human would do
the work.

4.2.2 Current Practices

Cleaning of any PV glass surface is done in two ways: either using water with
water solvent cleaning agents and without water using special brushes. Most of the
cleaning practices involve the use of a robotic system with either of the above two
practices. Whereas, some of the PV sites with abundant water resources are
cleaned by the sprinkled water time to time to avoid the soiling issue. The selection
of cleaning mechanism is dependent on geographical location, seasonal variations
and weather perturbations, plant size, array configurations and others, so that the
economics of cleaning process sticks in a good agreement with that of the worth
achieved after cleaning.
A. Water-based robotic cleaning systems: Water-based cleaning systems use
water as their primary component as their cleaning agent. The water-based
cleaning system is best suited in an urban and tropical climate where water is
abundantly available. Water-based cleaning is the best cleaning system in terms of
cleaning efficiency. It can remove hard stains and bird excrements from the surface
of the panel.

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B. Waterless robotic cleaning systems: Though water-based cleaning is most
effective cleaning method, in dry places like the desert where water is not available
and the soiling in the surface of the panel is only due to dust accumulation, it is
effective to use water-less cleaning technology. In waterless cleaning technology, a
brush typically dusts in dry places. The robots cleaning without the use of water is
less complicated as it does not store water and doesn’t need to pump high- velocity
water into the panel and the robots are consequently of lightweight. Solar Brush is
an example of a robotic cleaning system for SPV panels without the usage of water.
It is having a cleaning brush which swipes the dust. Boson solar farm cleaning robot
shown in Fig.5.is a fully automatic robot that can clean the surfaces of the panel
without the use of water.

Fig.5: Boson Robotic Panel Cleaning System

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 Automated water sprinkler system: Places with an abundant amount of water
can have a system that performs a routine cleaning system making the use of water
alone. Automation regarding the routine cleaning shall be required to perform
cleaning time to time such that no soiling particles or bird excreta are allowed to
stay for a long time. These systems virtually create a rain-like an environment in
the solar plant as hoses spray the water directly in the panel, the panel due to its
inclination washes the dirt along with water to earth due to gravity. It automatically
washes and rinses the solar panels by nozzles attached to the solar panels.

Fig.6 : Automatic Water Sprinkler

4.3 Evaluation of different existing solar PV panel cleaning

systems
With various technologies and practices available to clean the solar panel, it is
necessary to choose the right one based on environment, seasonal and weather patterns
and dust density level to ensure the selected method to be economically and
technically feasible. Manual cleaning is feasible in small plants which are on the
ground level and easy to reach. Manual cleaning for street poles requires a skilled
operator having high manpower cost. Similarly, in large solar farms robotic system is
considered to be best as it requires less manpower and has high efficiency in cleaning.
Solar farms in a tropical region where it is wet and humid having plenty of rainfall
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may install waterless robotic system as the dew in the solar panel at morning can act as
a cleaning agent. So, is also useful for desert areas where the soiling is only of dust
particles. However, sites which are prone to sticky specks of dirt and bird excretes,
might require water and cleaning agent to clean the panel effectively. In such places,
water-based robotic cleaning is found to be more appropriate. The different solar panel
cleaning technologies evolved so far has been structured in Table II, which also details
the features, effectiveness and the disadvantages respectively.

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 Table 2: Evaluation of Different Solar PV Panel Cleaning System
Technology Method of cleaning Effectiveness of Unique Features Disadvantage Remarks
cleaning s
Manual Hand cleaning Cleans all type of dust Human laboured i)Manpower Implementable for
Cleaning including bird excreta, cleaning required small solar home
grease layers, etc. ii)Noneffectiv systems
Cleaning kit i)Additional shaft
and special cleaning e large solar
agent ii)Maintains farms
iii)Can damage Can be used in large
smoothness of sized roof top solar
surface the
surface of plants with random
solar panel array configurations
Spraying water Cleans dust particles Water hose applied Better used in sites
manually with abundant water
Rainwater cleaning Cleans dust particles i)Natural cleaning Ineffective for PV sites situates in
ii)No manpower the places with tropical regions
required inadequate
Rainfall
Piezoelectric Water/air components Cleans dust particles Light weight and Inapplicable for Applicable for
System carrying dust material; compact structure a larger number astronautic and
vibration and actuator of modules. aeronautic
drives the dust away applications
from the panel
Standing Electric Field makes a Cleans dust particles Completely static Dry state of Can be used in a harsh
Wave Electric path for dust to move cleaning method module is dusty environment like
Curtain along the solar panel and with no moving required deserts or even in
System fall off mechanical parts (RH <60%) Mars

Robotic Water-based Cleaning Cleans hard dirt and Smoothness of i)sophisticated Applicable for large
System dust deposits panels surface and complex scale solar plants
remains intact after systems abundant with water
cleaning ii)Restricted to resources
particular
module
configuration
iii)additional
costing of water

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 Waterless Cleaning Cleans dirt and hard Low operational i) Restricted to Applicable for large
dirt without the use of cost particular scale solar plants with
water module scarce water
configuration
ii) Ineffective
in cleaning
tough dirt and
birds excretes

Robotics with IoT Can comprise of both i)Distant monitoring i)Complex Applicable for
integration water-based or of Realtime plant system semiarid areas and far
waterless techniques conditions ii) High initial to reach large solar
and cleaning ii) Requires no investment plants
effectiveness depends human intervention iii) Skilled and
on technique used iii) Cleaning trained
supervision can be supervisor is
done distantly needed

Self-Cleaning Translucent Coating of Cleans more effectively i)Thin film coating i)Low Can be used for PV
Method Nano Film than rainwater natural does not affect the reliability of the powered sensor
technique efficiency of a panel system for networks installed in
ii)no operator different site remote locations
required condition ii)
Inapplicable for
dry places
Automated Automated Water Cleans dust particle and i)Easy installation Inapplicable for Can be used at roof top
Water Sprinkler bird’s excreta (if cleaned ii)frequent water Waterscarce solar plants
Cleaning before it gets dry) rinses avoid sticking Places
of accumulated dirt

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 CHAPTER-5

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

With the rapid development of a robotics system for the solar panel cleaning, the essence of
optimal cleaning instant has been a research interest for the PV experts. The scheduling of solar
panel cleaning is the challenging task for the smooth operation of PV plants. It is even more
essential, if the plant size is in the range of hundreds and thousands of megawatts. The investment
made for cleaning purpose must have a good rate of return in terms of restoration of energy
harvesting capability of the solar cells thereby decreasing the LCoE. Cleaning decision made just
concerning the visual inspection by a human being might not be effective in terms of power plant
economics and plant health.
In the same system, the combination of the array voltage, the array current and the module
temperature with Random Forest model gave the most accurate classifier (90%) which can be
visualized by Fig.7. In research done at 100 MW Solar PV plant at Saudi Arabia, an optimal
cleaning interval of the plant is evaluated using simple exponential loss model where the
minimization of the total cost (cost of energy loss due to soiling plus cost of cleaning) over the
value of energy sold during that interval is achieved.

Fig.7 : Average Accuracy Classification for Random Forest Technique

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 CONCLUSIONS
This paper discusses the effects of various parameters on the solar photovoltaic panel, and
various cleaning systems that are developed and being used up to the present days. The key
points of the topics discussed are:
1) The rise in cell temperature and soiling of the module are the two major issues of the PV
systems.
2) Places with extensive temperature rise can be dealt with by active and passive cooling
techniques, whereas soiling can be dealt with by cleaning the surface of modules.
3) Cleaning can be achieved by natural rainfall, manual hand cleaning, water jet/sprinklers and
most effectively by robots.
4) Standing wave-type electric curtain system can be applied in the areas with waterscarce, like
for solar panels in Mars.
5) To obtain optimum cleaning instant for a particular case scenario, machine learning
application can be implemented to develop a decision-making model with the use of
parameters affecting the performance of PV plant: solar irradiance, output power,
temperature, humidity, air mass, dust density, seasonal and weather patterns. The complexity
and accuracy of the system are defined mainly by power plant size, vulnerability to soiling,
seasonal patterns and weather perturbations.
6) For distant solar farms with no rainfall and prone to frequent sand/dust deposition, the IoT
based cleaning system with a pre-installed robot in the solar array can be used, which shall
avoid the multiple site visit costs.
7) It is suggested that for the large solar farms, solar panel cleaning shall only be done, if the
efficiency is reduced below the critical level and the investor must make sure that the
investment made on the cleaning purpose have a tolerable rate of return. Further research and
development on a decision-making model considering cost worth evaluation are essential for
the evolving solar panel cleaning technology.

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[2
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 F. A. Touati, M. A. Al-Hitmi, and H. J. Bouchech, "Study of the effects of dust, relative

[3
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 M. Mazumder et al., “Electrostatic removal of particles and its applications to

[4
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