Circuit Jam 24

1st Edition: Solar panel maintenance bots

CONTENTS

Contents
1 Introduction 2

2 Project Seraj 3
2.1 The Seraj MK I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1.1 The Seraj dev board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3 Circuit Jam 4
3.1 Circuit I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.2 Circuit II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.3 Circuit III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.4 Bonus rounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.4.1 Time Trials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.4.2 Face Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.5 Circuit I, II and III’s Scoring System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.5.1 Scoring system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.5.2 Resets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.5.3 Shape Skipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

CONTENTS 1
1 INTRODUCTION

1 Introduction
The Ouarzazate Solar Power Station (OSPS), also known as the Noor Power
Station, represents a groundbreaking initiative in sustainable energy located in
the Drâa-Tafilalet region of Morocco, near Ouarzazate. With a total capacity
of 582 MW, it comprises the world’s largest concentrated solar power (CSP)
plant, incorporating a 510 MW concentrated solar power system and an addi-
tional 72 MW photovoltaic system. The entire project, with an estimated cost
of around $2.5 billion, has been a collaborative effort involving ACWA Power,
the Spanish consortium TSK-Acciona-Sener, and support from the Moroccan
Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN).

The facility utilizes an auxiliary diesel fuel system to maintain heat transfer
fluid temperatures during periods without sunlight, facilitating turbine startup
and synchronization to the electrical grid. Notably, the plant has the capabil-
ity to store solar energy in heated molten salt, ensuring electricity production
during nighttime hours. The project consists of multiple phases, with Noor I,
commissioned in 2016, boasting a molten salt storage capacity of three hours.
Subsequent phases, Noor II (commissioned in 2018) and Noor III (commissioned
in January 2019), have increased storage capacity to eight hours.

Noor I, covering 450 hectares, employs parabolic trough technology with

wet cooling, utilizing half a million mirrors. Despite high water usage (1.7 mil-
lion m3 per year), the project’s life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions emphasize
its environmentally friendly profile, with the electricity expected to be sold at
$0.19/kWh. The broader Noor Solar Station not only marks Morocco’s commit-
ment to renewable energy but also serves as a model for large-scale, sustainable
power projects worldwide.

Figure 1: The noor solar station

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2 PROJECT SERAJ

2 Project Seraj
With solar power being a prominent venture in Morocco, our club proposes a
prototype of a solar panel maintenance bot, we aptly named ”Seraj,” derived
from the Arabic word meaning ”lantern” or ”lamp,” symbolizes the illumina-
tion that solar energy brings to Morocco’s sustainable future. Our proposed
prototype for the solar panel maintenance bot aims to enhance the efficiency
and longevity of solar power systems in the region. Seraj will be equipped with
advanced sensors and artificial intelligence to autonomously inspect, clean, and
perform routine maintenance on solar panels. This innovative technology not
only ensures optimal energy production but also reduces downtime and manual
labor costs.

2.1 The Seraj MK I

The Seraj MK I is specifically designed to navigate tight environments. Equiped
with the ”Seraj dev V1” board, the Seraj MK I is an IoT enabled self-localizing
robot, which will be the focus of this edition of Circuit Jam. The MK I fo-

Figure 2: The Seraj MK I

cuses solely on precise self-localization to pave the way for the MK II which
will be equiped with various actuators, sensors and cameras to enable remote
maintenance and diagnostics of solar panels.

2.1.1 The Seraj dev board

An ESP32-S3 based board equiped with a gyroscope, motor driver and all the
essentials to get the Mk I going in a neat package.

3
3 CIRCUIT JAM

Figure 3: The Seraj dev board

3 Circuit Jam
Circuit Jam is comprised of three circuits, each with its own unique challenges.

3.1 Circuit I
Equipped with an array of infrared sensors, the robot will be required to draw
shapes provided to it on the following circuit:
The robot always starts from point {0,0} (the center of the circuit). The shape

Figure 4: Phase I circuit

is communicated to the particpants, who must send it to the robot in any format
of their choosing (example: {”point1, point2, ..., pointN”}).
Example:
Say we send the following instruction to the robot: {”{-1,1},{1,1},{1,-1},{0,0}”}.
The robot must draw the following shape:

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3 CIRCUIT JAM

Figure 5: Example shape for Phase I

3.2 Circuit II
In this circuit, the robot must draw the shapes using a combination of encoder-
based tracking and IMU sensor fusion, with the central dot being the start point
of every shape.
Note: Stepper motors are allowed.

Figure 6: Phase II circuit

3.2 Circuit II 5
3 CIRCUIT JAM

3.3 Circuit III

This circuit is an advanced version of circuit II with more complex shapes.

Figure 7: Phase III circuit

3.4 Bonus rounds

3.4.1 Time Trials

Using the same Circuit as circuit III, all participants will be provided with the
same 3 shapes with the fastest teams gaining bonus points in the following order:

Rank Bonus
1 +40
2 +20
3 +30
4 +10
≤5 0
In time trials. Each error results in an immidiate reset, with a maximum of 3
resets.

3.4.2 Face Off

Each team’s robot will have to traverse a set distance. A perfect score (0 error)
is 50 points, with each 1 cm of error corresponding to -5 points. Consequentally,
an error of 10 cm or more will result in the participant not getting any bonus
points this round

3.3 Circuit III 6

3 CIRCUIT JAM

3.5 Circuit I, II and III’s Scoring System

3.5.1 Scoring system
For Phase I through III, participants will be rewarded +50 points for every
shape they get right. And 0 points for every point they miss or get wrong.

Any mistake in the shape would trigger an immidiate reset, if the participant
Has no more resets. They’ll recieve 0 points and proceed to the next shape

3.5.2 Resets
Each team has the right to 3 resets. With every reset, the team has 2 minutes
to make the necessary adjustments before re-attempting to do the shape again.

3.5.3 Shape Skipping

A team may skip a shape. Skipping a shape lowers its value by 10 points. 1
skip is equivalent to 1 reset.

Example: If a team resets a shape, then decides to skip it. They would
only have 1 reset or 1 skip left.

3.5 Circuit I, II and III’s Scoring System 7