Design of Smart Surface Cleaner for PV Panels and Investigation of The Performance of Cleaning Materials

In this study, a mechanism that automatically detects the contamination on the glass surfaces used in solar cellsand collectors and cleans the surfaces has been designed. The performance tests of this automation system were carriedout with different pollutants (lime and ash) and the radiation transmittance of the contaminated surfaces was evaluated.It was observed that the radiation transmittance of the glass surface contaminated with lime decreased the most, whilethe light transmittance of the surface contaminated with ash decreased the least. In addition, the glass surface, which ismost polluted with lime, whose radiation transmittance has decreased the most, was cleaned with a felt and microfibercloth, apart from the well-known rubber wiper and nylon brush. Felt and microfiber fabric used as cleaning materialis a new application. As a result; It has been experimentally seen that felt is the best cleaning material.