Solar energy is advancing by leaps and bounds. Installed solar photovoltaic generation capacity in 2021 was 22% higher than in 2020. And it is one of the most economical ways to generate electricity in many parts of the world, according to the international energy agency. However, it does have one major problem: dirt .. The accumulation of dust or sand on the panels significantly reduces the performance of the panels. With nighttime humidity, moreover, dust can form crusts that are difficult to remove.

Many of these cleaning tasks are carried out by hand and with water, a scarce element in some of the areas with the greatest solar potential, such as northern Chile. Along these lines, Eccopia has developed autonomous cleaning robots that attack the problem from several angles. On the one hand, they work at night, without interfering with the generation of the panels, and with solar energy accumulated during the day. The robots also operate without water. They use microfiber and controlled air flows.

The robots also collect and deliver data on the panels that, interpreted through cloud-hosted artificial intelligence systems, allow plant operators to gain insight into facility performance and improve their predictive maintenance strategies.

You can see more HERE