Design of Smart Surface Cleaner for PV Panels
and Investigation of The Performance of
Cleaning Materials
Mustafa YAĞCI1
, Ali Osman ÖZKAN2
1,2 Necmettin Erbakan Üniversitesi, Mühendislik Fakültesi, Elektrik ve Elektronik Mühendisliği, Konya, Türkiye
Abstract
In this study, a mechanism that automatically detects the contamination on the glass surfaces used in solar cells
and collectors and cleans the surfaces has been designed. The performance tests of this automation system were carried
out with different pollutants (lime and ash) and the radiation transmittance of the contaminated surfaces was evaluated.
It was observed that the radiation transmittance of the glass surface contaminated with lime decreased the most, while
the light transmittance of the surface contaminated with ash decreased the least. In addition, the glass surface, which is
most polluted with lime, whose radiation transmittance has decreased the most, was cleaned with a felt and microfiber
cloth, apart from the well-known rubber wiper and nylon brush. Felt and microfiber fabric used as cleaning material
is a new application. As a result; It has been experimentally seen that felt is the best cleaning material.