Robots rise to the dusting challenge

Thorough, regular maintenance is critical to ensure the operational efficiency of solar power plants – and the impact of dust on panels should never be underestimated.

Dust on solar panels can reduce the reception of sunlight, resulting in a decrease in solar radiation received by the panels and a lowering of their output, directly affecting the overall power generation of the plant. 

To make cleaning more effective, Sihong Solar Power Station uses robots to mop dust from the panels. The project team conducted multiple rounds of investigations and research before installing seven automatic cleaning robots on a pilot basis in late 2017. 

More than two years of data collection and analysis found that regularly cleaning the solar panels with robots helped improve their efficiency by an average of 3.17%. 

Encouraged by its initial success, the team has deployed a total of 62 automatic cleaning robots across 10MW of solar panels since September 2020. 

A single row of panels in the selected installation area covers a long span of 360 metres, and each row of cleaning robots can provide cleaning across two areas, which maximises the cleaning efficiency of a single robot and reduces the investment cost.

The robot cleaners are now in full operation, taking over the risky work of cleaning solar panels above water and improving site safety. They are expected to help increase the generation capacity of the 10MW of solar panels by about 400 MWh every year, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 400 tonnes which is equivalent to the planting of some 17,000 trees. The robots will soon be installed on a further 10MW to 20MW of solar panels at the plant.

With an average of more than 2,300 hours of annual sunshine at Sihong, the use of innovative reflective devices and cleaning robots are helping the plant make an impressive contribution to the creation of clearer, bluer skies above China.