SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED CLEANING OF SOLAR POWER PLANT USING DRONES AND ROBOTS
// Electronics and Electrotechnology // Power Engineering // Solar Technology / Photovoltaics
Ref-Nr: 17109
Abstract
At its core, a solar power plant consists of solar modules that are permanently installed on mechanical tables. Contamination of the modules sometimes significantly reduces the yield, especially in sandy areas.
Fig. 1: System representation, principle
background
There are various possibilities for cleaning solar modules, which have various disadvantages:
1. self-cleaning by lotus effect
Disadvantage: works only at higher installation angles and regular rainfall
2. manual cleaning
Disadvantage: very high operating costs
3. cleaning systems permanently installed on solar tables
Disadvantages: very high investment costs, maintenance-intensive
4. manually transportable robots
Disadvantage: investment costs
5. Drones with brush
Disadvantages: low cleaning efficiency, high time required due to frequent loading necessary.
Innovation / Solution
The process according to the invention is to be used to significantly increase the efficiency of solar power plants with low investment and operating costs by regular and effective automated cleaning, thus increasing the energy yield. The invention consists of three main components: Mobile robots for cleaning, Drones for transporting the robots, Charging stations for charging the drones and robots. The robots, which are designed to be optimized for the cleaning task, are transported by the drones to the destination where they automatically perform the cleaning process. The locations and loading states are regularly exchanged by means of position determination and prior referencing. After the cleaning is completed, the robots are transported away by the drones to the next table or for reloading. Precise positioning and a sensor system enable the robots to effectively clean the entire table area. Through an automated process, the drones are able to locate, self-couple/un-couple and transport the robots. The drones are loaded as needed between transport operations. System control through artificial intelligence can achieve flight path and runtime optimization of the cleaning process by taking into account loading conditions, cleaning surfaces, weather conditions, dirt, and surface extent.Benefits
High plant efficiency and high yield due to continuously low contamination levels
Low material usage of cleaning equipment
Low use of personnel
Later or temporary extensions (e.g. seasonal) possible
fields of application
Automated cleaning system of solar power plants.You can close this window. You can find your search results in the previous window
