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> requiring a large budget to constantly clean them It's not unfathomable that a cheap, automated method of doing this could be developed.
by justin66 4y ago
> requiring a large budget to constantly clean them
It's not unfathomable that a cheap, automated method of doing this could be developed.
- robinsoh 4y ago> It's not unfathomable that a cheap, automated method of doing this could be developed. And that cheap, automated method will require energy as well. Perhaps a bigger concern maybe that such a method may require a cheap fluid to prevent damage to the panel coatings and that might be water, already a scarce resource in those places.
- imtringued 4y agoThey already exist.
- dmix 4y agoWhat they did is explained here, the process is quite involved: > Each of the 400,000 installed panels required one litre of water to clean. A 15 days cleaning cycle required 124 million litres of water (enough to sustain 9000 people) while rain in the Cholistan desert is rare and far between. Providing such huge amount of water in desert terrain, became a challenging and daunting task for management team. Besides, the manual cleaning methods allowed setting of dust before it was re-cleaned. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Quaid-e-Azam_Solar_Park https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Quaid-e-Azam_Solar_Park
- drpyser22 4y agoWhy is it not a good idea to use pressured air jets attached to each panel? Is the energy required for quick pressured air burst significant?
- robinsoh 4y agoImagine silica dust landed on your lenses. Pressured air on that dust. Scratches.
- justin66 4y agoEvery day they're using 20.7 litres of water to keep a single panel clean. It's an interesting problem, but I'm certain there's a better way if one were willing to develop better automation.