Tamil Nadu-based Sleepwalkers has introduced the Zero Dirt-BOLT automated robotic device that operates without rails for waterless dust removal from the surface of solar panels. The robot can be deployed for ground-mounted and rooftop/RCC installations and is compatible with fixed, seasonal tilt as well as single-axis trackers.
The company states the robotic device is ideal for PV installations in deserts as it can dry-clean the solar panels with 99% cleaning efficiency.
The robot is available in automated and semi-automated (pick-and-place) models. It is built to work in dry, wet, or hybrid (both wet and dry) cleaning modes.
Anil Zinjurke, chief marketing officer of Sleepwalkers, told pv magazine the robot is powered by an onboard lithium battery. It travels 2-3 km on a single charge and can clean more than 2 MW in a day depending on the site conditions. Installation is easy. No extra railing is required as the robot can move on the aluminum frame of the panels.”
“The automatic models self-charge from inbuilt solar panels. In the pick-and-place model, a battery swapping facility is provided. Our wet cleaning robots can reduce the water consumption by half, compared to the conventional manual wet cleaning.”
The PV cleaning robot is claimed to handle panel-to-panel irregularities up to 25 mm and land slope undulation up to 15 degrees. It features a high torque motor with precise transmission, an industrial-grade controller for robust operation, SCADA and Cloud connectivity with the IOT network, and weather monitoring.
The Zero Dirt-BOLT robots are tested and certified by the UL Laboratory and are currently deployed for around 300 MW PV capacity. These are available in 2 to 8 m sizes.
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Price of these devices would have been helpful and service centers and warranty details