It is always possible to see a thick layer of dust on the surface of many solar panels, causing the originally blue and shiny solar panels to look dirty, and even causing them to catch fire. So, what if the photovoltaic panel gets dirty?
1、 The necessity of cleaning photovoltaic modules
Photovoltaic modules are the core part of photovoltaic systems and the most valuable part of them. The quality or cost of photovoltaic modules will directly determine the quality and cost of the entire system. The theoretical power generation efficiency of photovoltaic modules is 25%, while the actual efficiency is 23%; After being polluted, the power generation efficiency decreases to 17-18%. Therefore, the cleanliness of photovoltaic modules has a significant impact on power generation efficiency and efficiency. Photovoltaic modules are installed outdoors, and the small dust particles, snow, etc. attached to their surface can affect the transmittance of light, thereby affecting the amount of radiation received by the module surface and affecting power generation efficiency; The surface soil, bird droppings, and other local obstructions can cause heat spot effects in the photovoltaic module, reduce power generation efficiency, and even burn the module. In order to improve the power generation efficiency of photovoltaic modules, it is necessary to regularly clean them.
The service life of photovoltaic modules is over 20 years. In order to maintain normal power generation efficiency during the service life, photovoltaic power stations need to arrange dedicated personnel to regularly clean and treat the surface dust and pollutants of photovoltaic modules. The cleaning plan includes three methods: general dust removal, local cleaning, and overall cleaning.
General dust removal: Generally, a duster or dry mop is used to clean the dust on the surface of photovoltaic modules to reduce the impact of dust on power generation.
Local cleaning: When there are difficult to remove pollutants such as bird droppings in a certain part of the photovoltaic array, clean the photovoltaic array locally with clean water.
Overall cleaning: When the dust accumulation on the surface of photovoltaic modules is thick due to long cleaning intervals or harsh weather, it is necessary to perform overall cleaning on the photovoltaic array. The first consideration for cleaning components in the photovoltaic area is to use natural rainwater, while in seasons with low rainfall, manual cleaning is considered.
The general dust removal plan is to be carried out every two weeks, and the overall cleaning plan is to be carried out every three months or after particularly severe weather weeks.
The cleaning work of photovoltaic modules should be carried out in the morning, evening, night, or rainy days (with irradiance below 200W/m2). It is strictly prohibited to choose around noon or during periods with strong sunlight for cleaning work. When cleaning in the morning and evening, it is also advisable to choose to do so during periods of dim sunlight.
2、 Cleaning methods for photovoltaic modules
There are several common cleaning methods for photovoltaic modules:
1) Manual cleaning
Artificial photovoltaic module cleaning is the original method of module cleaning, completely relying on manual labor to complete. This cleaning method has low work efficiency, long cleaning cycles, high labor costs, and poses personal hazards. Mainly divided into manual water cleaning and manual dry cleaning.
a. Manual water washing
Artificial water washing is achieved by spraying water onto the surface of photovoltaic modules using a nozzle connected to a water truck (or water pipe) to achieve
The purpose of cleaning is that this cleaning method is superior to manual dry cleaning, with higher cleaning efficiency but a higher water consumption. Special electric brushes, roller brushes, and disc brushes can be used to clean photovoltaic modules. The water pipe should be tied to the brush rod, and some electric brushes are also equipped with a water pipe nozzle to achieve the effect of simultaneous brushing and flushing.
b. Manual dry cleaning
The operator uses a long handled velvet mop and a specialized dust remover for cleaning.
Main principle: Utilizing the principle of electrostatic adsorption, it has the function of adsorbing dust and sand particles, enhancing the ability of dust suction and cleaning, and effectively preventing dust and sand particles from flying during cleaning. As long as you gently pat and push the dust, you can shake off the sand particles, which are commonly used for cleaning curtain walls, hotels, hotels, etc.
2) Automatic cleaning
The automatic cleaning method is to install the cleaning device on the photovoltaic module array, and achieve automatic cleaning of the photovoltaic module by the device through program control of motor rotation. Alternatively, a photovoltaic cleaning vehicle can be used, with a free arm cleaning brush added to the tractor and equipped with a water delivery nozzle, which can be washed with water while brushing. The automatic cleaning machine can be operated in two ways: “with water” and “without water” according to the on-site environment. The cost of automatic cleaning equipment is high.
a. Cleaning vehicle
At present, cleaning equipment modified using engineering vehicles as carriers has high power and efficiency. The cleaning work has good consistency in pressure on photovoltaic modules, and will not generate uneven pressure on photovoltaic modules, causing them to crack. Moreover, cleaning can be done in two modes: cleaning and water washing. The operation and maintenance company can purchase or rent. 10MWp uses 30 cubic meters of water for descaling, equivalent to 22Km × A light rain of 0.23mm fell on the surface of the 3.5m photovoltaic array.
b. Cleaning robot
To effectively improve the efficiency of cleaning the dust on the surface of distributed solar panels, intelligent cleaning robots are used to regularly clean and thoroughly remove the dust and dirt on the surface of photovoltaic modules, in order to improve power generation efficiency. The method is to install a photovoltaic module cleaning robot for each row of the power station (or install a new row of cars, with multiple rows sharing a robot), which automatically cleans and is unmanned. It can come with its own photovoltaic module and power storage device, without the need for external power supply.
Multifit solar has been committed to researching photovoltaic cleaning for many years, and has its own professional team of research and development engineers. From semi-automatic manual handheld cleaning brushes to fully automatic cleaning machines, various types of machines are available, which can meet the cleaning needs of any photovoltaic scene:
1,MR-G1 Single-board ,double-board robot
They can be made into adjustable machines, which only we can do in China
2,MR-XY cleaning robot for three to five row arrays over 4 meters
Able to clean solar panel arrays more than 4m wide
3,Simple model cleaning robot
It is much lighter and flexible
4,Solar Panel Cleaning Robot- MR-T1 Series
It is more intelligent and It adopts autonomous cross-barrier program.
For Multifit solar panel cleaning robot,There is always one that can meet the cleaning needs of your solar power station.
Post time: Oct-13-2023