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Reflection: What growth have I seen in my writing and communication skills this

semester?

I have noticed how poor my communication skills were in writing, after getting peer responses
on our first draft. These peer responses mostly had the confusion of the reader, specifically at
my parts of the problem statement. Two of the main confusions were on how the needs analysis
was determined and the way the previous engineering solutions worked. After receiving
feedback from both professor and peers, I got a better understanding of how to communicate
my ideas and thoughts. For the needs analysis, I identified the needs of the three different
users, and how I got the information. Whether from online research or conducting interviews.

For the audience to visualise previous solutions, examples of these solutions should be
described in a certain way. Technical words can be used but very professional terms should be
defined. My writing became more concise and straightforward. I believe my communication
skills have developed a lit, and this helped me in my daily life while socializing and my other
courses.
TO: Dr. Amy
From: Ahmad Al-Sumaiti, Dana Al-Yafei, Fatima Abdulla and Kenana Dalle
Date: 10/7/2018
Subject: Solar Panel Cleaner – Problem Statement 1

Purpose, scope and objectives of our project

Many countries in the Middle East have started investing in solar panels for the aim of
using them as a main source of energy in the future; the UAE is working on building a large
solar plant that would generate 5 GW (gigawatt) of power in 2030 [1]. The efficiency of the solar
panels depends on the amount of sun rays and number of photons hitting their surface.
Accumulating dust particles or snow or dirt can reduce that efficiency by 2%- 50% [2]. The
purpose of our project is to clean solar panels and increase their efficiency by almost 70% by
removing the dust particles using an automated cleaning machine that’s powered by the solar
panels. Our project benefits places with fine dust particles like Gulf countries, but it is also
targeted for countries that use solar energy as a source of power. Cleaning the solar panels is a
labor-intensive job; an automated cleaning device is needed to make that task easier for
companies and people who manage solar plants. Automated cleaning would also help the
workers who are responsible for cleaning the cells as that will require less work for them; as a
result this project might not only increase the efficiency of the solar panels but also reduce labor
cost.

Previous research on the problem we identify

There has been previous research on the problem we are trying to solve. Solar panels
get affected by different kinds of shading (the formation of shade by an object); one article in a
journal discusses the categories of shading due to soiling [2]. An emerging line of research is
hard shading, that's when objects like dust particles block the sun rays. Hard shading depends
on the amount of surface area covered by the particlest; the article discussed the formation of
the “hotspot” in a partially dust covered solar panel cell. In an experiment, when one of 10 PV
cells was shaded, the other cells formed hotspots that would damage the panels; that problem
could be solved using a bypass diode. An illustration is shown in Fig. 1. When hard shading
occurs on all the panels, no power would be delivered by the module and the voltage is
reduced.
Figure1 Experiment on Shading [3]

Research also studies factors that affect the performance of a PV (photovoltaic) model.
Among these factors were the soiling losses (refers to loss in power resulting from snow, dirt,
dust and other particles that cover the surface of the PV module) and dust accumulation [2].
Another cause would be the area of exposure to the sun and direction of the wind [7]; the
position of the panel, the technology and the design it has affects the amount of exposure
received from the sun and the wind. The wind affects the performance because it directs the
dust movements towards specific parts of the solar panel’s surface depending on the panel’s
position.The surface of the solar panel plays an essential role in dust accumulation; less dust
would stick if the surface of the solar panels was smooth rather than rough [2]. The other article
mentioned the glazing properties of the surface of the PV modules and whether they are
equipped with dust-free coatings [7].Moreover, the properties of the dust can be a factor that
helps dust accumulate; the electrostatic properties and the chemical characteristics of the dust
particle influences dust settlement [7]. The size of the sand particle also plays a role according
to a research done in Doha [3].
Many cleaning methods were proposed by multiple research. The natural method would
be just by rainfall or by wind [2], but that’s solely dependable on the season and the
environment and that can’t be depended on .Then there is the manual cleaning method which
uses manual labor to clean the panels with special brushes.The mobile cleaners which
essentially consists of machines that clean regularly; according to the paper, this is the best
cleaning method because of frequent cleaning [2]. An interesting technology that has been
researched is the use of electrostatic cleaning system to push the dust off the solar panels [3].
The same research mentions that “... a soiled photovoltaic module in Doha will only be able to
provide approximately 85% of the electricity if it is not cleaned for one month” [3] which shows
the importance of the problem we are trying to solve.

Needs analysis

The possible users who might benefit from a solution to this problem are residential
homeowners, who have small solar panels, large companies, and solar farms. Through online
research and conducting interviews with two professors, who have many previous researches on
solar panels, the needs of this problem were determined. When the efficiency of the solar panels
reduces due to dust accumulation, customers need a clean way to remove the dust and regain the
efficiency lost. It is very important for it to be eco-friendly. According to Dr. Robert Balog, an
interviewee, people must know how to reduce domestic consumption of water and electricity, be
aware of how to use solar panels, and plan for a green future.
Homeowners and companies need a method that is not time consuming, nor laborious. An
affordable way is also needed which helps in saving money by reducing one’s expenses, mostly by
homeowners; since a small number of solar panels generate only a relatively small amount of
electricity, so any potential cleaning system would need to be extremely low-cost [8].
In addition, it should be easy to maintain and should serve for a long term. Rain can be a
concern in some countries where dust becomes mud; leaving sticky dirt that is difficult to clean on
the surfaces of the panels. The mineral present in dust that is responsible for making mud when rain
occurs needs to be discovered to help in finding more efficient solutions to this problem, as Dr. Bing
Guo, another interviewee, has mentioned. Dr. Bing also suggested that the device has as less
moving parts as possible, since it can reduce its durability, lowering its maintenance. With all of
these needs proposed, the most suitable solution can be found.

Previous engineering solutions

Engineering solutions to the loss of efficiency due to dust accumulation on solar panels
varied from manual labor to automated devices. Manual labor is mostly used since its efficient
from the cleaning perspective and is more secure when using brushes and water. However, it is
costly if someone is hired to do the job in the long-run. It can also be energy-draining and tough
for laborers in harsh desert environments and sometimes dangerous if the panels were put on
high surfaces like roofs.
Robotic cleaning is an alternative solution. These vary in their methods of cleaning and
their source of power. Some robots use cloths and some water to clean the surfaces, while
others remove dust using rotating brushes. Some robots run on power from a stored battery
while others have their own solar panels. The Automatic Cleaning Robot Brush [9, Fig. 2], is a
robot that uses rotating brushes to brush off the dust towards an inner vacuum to be stored in
the device and avoid the spreading of dust on other parts of the panel’s surface. Water is costly,
and most robotic cleaning methods include the use of water. Hence, this robot is likely to be
used, since it saves water. However, it is only effective when the dust is dry as mentioned by Dr.
Bing Guo, a professor in Texas A&M university at Qatar, who has multiple researches on dust
accumulation and solar panels. The disadvantages when it comes to robotic cleaning is that it
needs the operation and maintenance of the machine [3]. In both cases, manual labor and
robotic cleaning, a future labor cost is indefinite [3]. In addition, rain can be a concern when
these robotic cleaning devices are used, since they might get damaged while cleaning the sticky
dirt due to the rain.
Figure 2 Automatic Cleaning Robot Brush

Other solutions were introduced into the industry that don’t rely on water nor contain
moving parts; that makes them highly reliable, are the use of electrostatic forces,
electrodynamic forces [4, Fig. 3] or a vibrating mechanism. Either forces are used to remove
dust from the surface of the slightly inclined solar panels by applying a low-frequency high-
voltage which repels the dust off the surface to be then simply transported downwards by
gravity. And under normal atmospheric conditions in desert locations, only a few minutes of
cleaning will be needed per day [4]. Furthermore, the actual power consumption of these
systems is small [3]. However, the performance is low for extremely small dust particles [3] like
Doha’s dust.

Figure 3 Cross-section of an electrodynamic screen (EDS)

The other method is a smooth transparent shield with low absorption coefficient (such as
a plastic sheet) placed on the top of the panel to facilitate the removal of dust [5, Fig. 5]. On
opposite sides of the panel, two membrane vibrators are placed that shake and resonate the
sheet, dislodging the dust particulates from their positions [5]. Compressed air, from a
compressor powered by the panel itself, creates an air stream along the panel removing loose
dust and cools the panel, enhancing its performance. Rao Surampudi, a project monitor at
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, mentioned in an article by Kevin Bullis on “Self-Cleaning
Solar Panels”, that using vibrations is simpler than electrostatic or electrodynamic forces since it
requires fewer modifications to the solar panels. However, the vibration cleaning technique does
not remove fine particles he added [6].

Figure 4 Smart dust-cleaner and cooler for solar PV panels

Market analysis and similar products

For the market there are three main competitors that are competing with our solar panel
sweeper.

Mirai solar cleaning robot is the first competitor and their robot clean the entire solar
panel so however big or small the solar panel is the robot will clean it without any use of water,
the robot moves automatically by using four sensors to detect outer edges and wheels made of
a special rubber. A special feature in the robot is its ability to reposition on another panel once it
reaches the top as well as it not missing a spot. The robot can be set up and carried by one
person since it only weighs 11 kg, the weight is all thanks to the internal battery which can work
for 2 hours on a single charge.[10] the way it cleans is by rotary brushes in the front and rear.
The difficulty the team in Marai faced was finding the best balance in its cleaning function,
movement speed and energy efficiency.
Figure 5
CSS solar panel cleaner is the best at area cleaned per minute 17m2 in one minute
given that it doesn't go back, that is all thanks to its 2m size which require three people in order
to carry and set up on the solar panels. It requires a water hose connected to it throughout the
cleaning process because it uses pressurized water which are located before and after the
rotary brush, it has a mop in the front and back and a rotary brush in the middle.[11] This
product requires human input to clean and if it misses a spot the human has to make it go back
for that dirty spot.

Figure 6
Raybot solar panel cleaning robot is the smallest and most nimble robot in the market
today this is largely to its size it is 80 cm as it extends it becomes 110 cm but being the smallest
has its drawback which is it being really slow that’s because it can clean 5 panels in an hour. It
cleans the solar panel by the use of brushes, vacuums and a blower however it doesn’t use
water. A small internal battery powers the robot for 4 hours on a full charge.[12]
Figure 7

Design constraints

The set of constraints is categorized by the cost, the scope and the timings of the
project; and those relate directly to the problem itself.
● The price of our prototype solution shouldn’t exceed 500 QR; this limits our use of
expensive machinery and advanced mechanical parts.
The scope of the problem is that we only focus on the dust accumulation on solar panels and
not on other accumulations of snow or dirt.
● The schedule of our project consists of almost 3 months of work and that requires
planning and scheduling tasks accordingly.
The design we have thought of accommodates for the problem and the purpose of our project.
Designs with efficiency had been considered.
In order for the prototype to use green energy and to save cost for companies the following
must be considered.
● use less power from the solar panels and little to no amount of water.
● The weight and lifespan of the designs were studied as well according to the needs of
the users and the scope of the problem;
which involves dust that gathers every week or so and that requires a durable design.
● user-friendliness and the ability for the user to work with the machine easily.
If the design is too complicated it would discourage users from using our product.
● Avoiding Hotspots.
When cleaning the solar panel we must take into consideration that if there are hotspots from a
solar panel that is semi clean, it would damage the them.

Social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts


The solar panel sweeper has many impacts such as sociocultural, environmental, and
economic, similar to solar panels.
The socio-cultural impact of the prototype helps between people and countries via time
efficiency, by having the solar panels cleaned regularly via robot.‘Cleaning the solar panels
regularly with water is wasteful of water and expensive and since rain is scarce in the middle
east.’ said Dr. Bing. Therefore, we can only assume that the solar panels are currently being
cleaned using labor which takes hours and lots of manpower specifically for farm houses.
Additionally, the prototype will save labor effort for large solar panel farms hence,
making it time efficient for large companies that have solar panel farms [3]. Secondly, when
selecting a design for the solar panel cleaner we encourages the use of solar panels without the
risk of damaging the solar panels. Therefore, making the solar panels a reliable source of
energy. The solar panel cleaner adds interest in the purchase of solar panels between the
culture, hence, encouraging the usage of green energy via saving water [8].
Environmentally, the four designs we came up with, windshield sweeper, vacuum,
vibrational motion, rotating brushes, will be saving water. Energy will also be saved because this
each design will have its own energy source without the usage of a battery or the power
collected originally via solar panel or its own powersource. Economically, less money would be
spent on electric bills, more solar energy will be stored due to the efficiency of cleaning, and
because of that it lowers the loss expenses, and revenue for many companies will increase.
References
[1] D. Dudley, "Can The Middle East Make A Success Of Renewable Energy? It May Not
Have A Choice," Forbes, February 2018. [Online]. Available:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2018/02/14/can-the-middle-east-make-a-
success-of-renewable-energy-it-may-not-have-a-choice/#321230351da2. [Accessed 5
October 2018].
[2] M. R. Maghami, "Power loss due to soiling on solar panel: A review," Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 59, pp. 1307-1316, 2016.
[3] H. Kawamoto and B. Guo, “Improvement of an electrostatic cleaning system for removal of
dust from solar panels,” Journal of Electrostatics, vol. 91, pp. 28–33, Dec. 2017.
[4] M. K. Mazumder, “Electrostatic Removal of Particles and its Applications to Self-Cleaning
Solar Panels and Solar Concentrators,” 06-Sep-2016.
[5] A. J. Hamdi, “Smart dust-cleaner and cooler for solar PV panels,” 20-Feb-2018.
[6] K. Bullis, “Self-Cleaning Solar Panels,” Aug. 2010.
[7] M. Mani, “Impact of dust on solar photovoltaic (PV) performance: Research status,
challenges and recommendations”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,
vol.14, Issue 9, December 2010, pp. 3124-3131
[8] M. Burke, R. Greenough, D. Jensen, and E. Voss, “Project SPACE: Solar Panel Automated
Cleaning Environment,” thesis, 2016.
[9] “Solar Panel Automatic Cleaning Robot Brush Cleaning System For Solar Power Farm
Station,” www.alibaba.com. [Online]. Available: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Solar-
Panel-Automatic-Cleaning-Robot-
Brush_60786989132.html?spm=a2700.7724857.normalList.30.67713b013FP3ty. [Accessed:
17-Oct-2018].
[10] Miraikikai, Inc. (2018). Miraikikai, Inc.| PRODUCTS-E. [online] Available at:
https://www.miraikikai.jp/products-e [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].
[11] Clean Solar Solutions Ltd. (2018). Automated Solar Panel Cleaning Robots. [online]
Available at: http://cleansolar.solutions/automated-solar-panel-cleaning-robots [Accessed 12
Oct. 2018].
[12] Motherboard. (2018). Here's an Autonomous, Solar Panel-Cleaning Robot. [online]
Available at: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/wnj4kx/heres-an-autonomous-solar-
panel-cleaning-robot [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018]

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