PV Cleaning Market Accelerates Toward Intelligence: Multifit Launches Tracking Robot to Tackle Desert O&M Challenges

The continuous expansion of global PV installations is pushing the O&M sector into the spotlight. According to the latest report by Wood Mackenzie, the cumulative global PV O&M market has reached 348 GWdc. However, module cleaning costs continue to rise due to increasing labor expenses. Meanwhile, power generation losses caused by soiling—such as dust and sand accumulation—are receiving increasing attention.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that soiling erodes 4% to 7% of global PV power generation annually. In arid regions, power losses caused by soiling can even exceed 40%. Against this backdrop, automated cleaning robots are upgrading from auxiliary equipment to a core component of PV asset management. Industry data shows that the global smart PV cleaning robot market size was approximately USD 1.619 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow to USD 3.299 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.7%. Among these, intelligent models equipped with autonomous navigation and AI decision-making capabilities have become the main driving force for growth.

Facing the urgent demand for unmanned, highly efficient cleaning in large-scale ground-mounted power plants—especially in desert and arid regions—Multifit has newly developed the MR-T3 tracking-type PV cleaning robot. This model is equipped with an RTK high-precision positioning and map navigation system and supports AI-powered decision-making. It can autonomously plan optimal cleaning paths in complex arrays, reducing ineffective travel and repetitive operations.

The MR-T3 features a maximum climbing angle of 15°, an obstacle-crossing capability of up to 40mm gaps, and a total weight of 40.5kg. Equipped with red and green push-button switches and a fault code display function, it balances operational adaptability in large desert power plants with on-site convenience. Targeting the realistic conditions of desert scenarios—characterized by heavy dust, water scarcity, and limited manpower—the MR-T3 replaces manual driving and fixed-path modes with autonomous tracking and intelligent decision-making. This reduces personnel exposure risks while improving cleaning frequency and consistency.

From solar energy systems to cleaning and O&M, Multifit continues to perfect its full-process service capabilities. By leveraging intelligent equipment to address the O&M challenges brought by the scaling and desertification of PV power plants, Multifit helps customers steadily increase power generation revenue in complex environments where both heavy soiling and water scarcity coexist.