Scientists from Pakistan’s University of Science and Technology (MUST), the University of Poonch Rawalakot, and the Stevens Institute of Technology in the United States have developed a new cleaning mechanism for small-sized standalone PV systems that can be cheaply and efficiently deployed.
The proposed system, which the academics describe as an automatic self-cleaning mechanism (ASCM), consists of a mounting structure and a cleaning wiper. They placed the wiper in a suitable position for smooth movement on the surface of the module, supported by a pulley mechanism. They also attached a shutter to the wiper, in order to protect the solar module from dust at night.
They used five pulleys to stabilize the movement of the wiper, with four of them responsible for horizontal movement.
“Out of four, the first two pulleys are used to guide the tensile cable to align it in a straight position,” the group said. “Whereas, the third and fourth pulleys help in the smooth movement and adjusting the length of tensile cable connected to the shutter.”
They linked a fifth pulley to the wiper motor to assist the bidirectional movement via metal-braided tensile cables. The water for the panel cleaning is provided by a water tank attached at the upper end of the module frame.
“The sprinkler system consists of double jet windshield washer nozzles, which are commercially used for cleaning a vehicle’s windshield,” the scientists said.
