Capstone Project Team 7

Fully Automated Solar Panel Cleaning

Device

Sponsor: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Project Team: A. J. Hocker

Michael Harold
Thomas Moses
Joe Wilder
Ben Wanicki
Zachary Falender
Austin Kukulski

Date: 04/30/2018
 Executive Summary

This report describes, in detail, the problem posed by Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory (LLNL) to Capstone Group 7, the methods by which the group analyzed the problem,
the first steps taken to ideate and narrow the focus of the project, and the completion of the
solution to the given problem. The problem indicated by the customer and the group is as
follows: LLNL has seen significant decrease in solar panel efficiency at their main base of
operations in Livermore, California due to dust and debris swept onto said solar panels. Due to
weather and environmental conditions water or other solutions are not ideal materials to be used
in the cleaning process.
With a limited market of solar panel cleaning devices, the team needed to maintain the
efficiency that is required by LLNL. The cleaning needs to remove the debris from the solar
panel and not endanger the efficiency of any solar panel nearby. In addition, no water or other
solution can be used, if possible, to clean the solar panels due to water scarcity. The device must
also be autonomous to reduce labor costs.
A preliminary search of related concepts and patents revealed very little in relation to the
specific conditions that apply to the specified environment. Ideas that fulfill individual criteria
have been made, and assessed, for common components that make a preferred idea. Logs of
meetings and charts outlining what has been done and what needs to be done have been added
for better understanding of progress.
To be done still is a thorough investigation of specific concepts related to the final design.
Early phase testing of critical components as well as initial prototyping of the major systems has
been completed. These stages have been recorded and considered in the WBS Map/Task Layout
as well as the Milestone Chart. The following pages go into detail over these steps and phases in
these early stages of this project’s development.
Section 1

1.1 Problem Statement

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) wanted the group to develop a

battery-powered, automated system that cleans the surface of solar panels with minimal use of
water, if possible, to maintain maximum power output in a desertous environment. When solar
panels have dirt, debris, and/or bird droppings on them, the power output at which that they can
harness power is greatly reduced. Many solar farms around the United States run into the issue of
panels becoming covered in dust and other particulates causing solar panel output efficiencies to
drop by nearly 20-30% [1] (of the maximum output efficiency, which is usually 15-19% [2])
This issue is especially apparent in dry arid regions where many industrial solar farms are
located.
The need was to develop a system that cleans the surface of a solar panel using little to
no water, is autonomous, is powered by batteries, and overall increase the efficiency at which the
solar panels operate. The climate in question the system will operate in is defined as a desert
climate with temperature ranging from 36 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit and wind speeds ranging
from 4 miles per hour up to 17 miles per hour. Wind speeds reach near 20 miles per hour and
temperature reaches near 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which means the system must be able to
withstand gusts of wind as well as extreme temperature above the norm. [3, 4]
A successful solution will have an enormous impact on not only large, industrialized
solar farms, but also at the consumer level with smaller rooftop arrays. Solar panel markets, as
well as their consumers, would be affected by the development of such a solution. Efficiency and
usability of solar panels to harness energy on both fronts would greatly increase, thus
incentivizing the need and want for solar panels as an alternative source of energy.
Individuals or companies that would like to generate energy through solar panels either
for personal use or for industrial use will be directly affected by the proposed device. The
proposed device will allow for greater efficiency with the panels, meaning that the device pays
for itself.

1.2 Survey of competing products/processes/prior approaches/solutions

Solutions to the problem presented by LLNL have been attempted in the past see [5-12]
located in appendix H, “Reference Material”. These references show different attempts at
creating a device that will clean solar panels quickly and efficiently. Most had some common
issues, with a major one being excessive use of water. A few examples of different devices from
the history of solar panel cleaners are the Gecko Solar device from Serbot Swiss Innovations,
HECTOR (a robotic cleaning system for heliostats), Greenbotics solar PV cleaning robot, Solar
Brush, and Heliotex’s sprinkler cleaning system. Each of these devices can be found in the
references section. [12]
Through preliminary patent research on Google patents, it was discovered that, there
were a few different ideas that have previously been patented by various inventors. Many of
these patents, while similar to the requirements of the client, seemed to fall short of hitting
exactly what they want.