Economic and performance evaluation of an automated PV cleaning system with water recycling in Islamabad, Pakistan

Various environmental factors adversely impact photovoltaic (PV) module efficiency, particularly increased module temperature and reduced irradiance absorption due to soiling. Among these factors, soiling significantly diminishes PV performance. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an innovative, detachable automated moving-bar water-cleaning system integrated with a water recycling mechanism to mitigate soiling losses on PV modules installed in Islamabad, Pakistan. The study assessed both electrical and thermal performance enhancements at three distinct module tilt angles (21°, 31°, and 41°). Daily soil accumulation was quantified as 254 mg/m 2 , 181 mg/m 2 , and 156 mg/m 2 for the respective tilt angles. Over a 12-day experimental period at each angle, the cleaning system successfully recovered power losses by 15.5%, 12.7%, and 11.3% at tilt angles of 21°, 31°, and 41°, respectively. The moving-bar cleaning system, featuring a horizontally oriented bar fitted with flat-fan nozzles, uniformly dispersed pressurized water each morning before sunrise. A novel feature of this system was the integration of a water recycling component, effectively recapturing and filtering approximately 88% of the used water through Whatman filter paper placed in the collection slot. Beyond restoring electrical output, the cleaning intervention reduced module temperatures on both the front and rear surfaces, contributing to improved thermal management. An accompanying economic analysis confirmed the commercial viability of implementing this moving-bar water-cleaning system in large-scale. • Novel automated moving-bar PV cleaning system with water recycling is developed. • Integrated recycling mechanism successfully recovers 88% of cleaning water. • Solar PV cleaning reduces module temperature by up to 1.4 °C.