The problem of soiling is the biggest enemy of solar panels. According to studies, solar panels can lose about 50% of efficiency due to dirt and particles that accumulate in just six months. 

We noticed that you have developed an innovative robot by collaborating with Reiwa to automatically clean the solar panels. But what if we tell you there’s a way in which can further enhance this process or even can remove the need for robots? Let me share some of our findings which might help you to enhance the cleaning process of solar panels: 

1. ChemiTek’s innovative anti-soiling coating (commercially available)

A Portuguese startup chemitek founded in 2018 has overcome the existing challenge associated with titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings, which are slow in self-cleaning and mainly degrade organic compounds but struggle with inorganic deposits like dust and sand. 

ChemiTek has developed a patented composition that provides hydrophobic, anti-dirt, anti-graffiti, and anti-corrosion properties. The key components include:

• Active Compounds: 3-[(2-aminoethyl)amino]propyl Me di-Me methoxy-terminated; poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) alpha-isotridecyl-omega-hydroxy-(amino-polysiloxane) emulsion; and mixtures thereof. This innovative composition can be applied by spraying, polishing, dipping, or other methods, making the surface non-stick and repellent to dirt and graffiti.

This can help to enhance the efficiency of solar panels by up to 5%, also a case study on a PV plant of Girasol showed an 11.5% light transmission increase after 5 times soiling and cleaning cycles.

2. Lotus-Leaf-Inspired Biomimetic Coatings (Under Research)

Recent research has been focused on developing coatings inspired by the lotus leaf’s natural water-repelling properties. These biomimetic coatings aim to provide superhydrophobic and self-cleaning surfaces by replicating the micro-nano surface structure of the lotus leaf. A bioinspired radiative cooling coating (BRCC) has shown promise in achieving sustainable and efficient solar panel maintenance.

The Key components are: The BRCC incorporates a hierarchical porous structure utilizing materials such as multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), modified SiO2, and fluoro silicone resin. 

Results:

• Sustainable Performance: During tests, BRCC-coated surfaces showed a 25% increase in total heat transfer coefficient and maintained stable radiative cooling performance even under abrasion and soiling conditions.
• Cost-Effective Application: The research indicates that even if only approximately 80.9% of the surface is coated with BRCC, it still retains high cooling efficiency, which could be highly beneficial for cost-effective large-scale deployment
• Lotus Effect: During the soiling test, the pollutants can be easily taken away from the BRCC surface due to the low sliding angle of water droplets from the lotus effect.