Featured in Beyond low MENA tenders – 01-2019

Sweet sweep

The amount and nature of desert dust determines whether daily cleaning of solar modules is a favorable option. However, frequent and water-intensive cleaning, as well as the amount of labor required, can be costly in desert installations. But the ingenuity of automation is on its way to help.
Marian Willuhn
By
Marian Willuhn
Ecoppia’s T4 robot at the Ketura PV farm in Israel. The model features combined microfiber and air flow cleaning. Its software can also help O&M crews to detect broken panels and self-optimize cleaning modes. | Ecoppia

 In 2011, Siemens partnered with Arava Power to build the Ketura Sun PV farm in the Arava Desert – Israel’s first. At first, the site used a cleaning routine that involved manual labor and water use. The routine was performed around eight to nine times a year to avoid the most significant losses due to …

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