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Automatic Solar Panel Cleaning Robot: Energy Gain Study

Approx. component budget: Rs. 9,000 - 15,000

Objective

Measure how much panel output is lost to dust and how much is recovered by each cleaning cycle, and compare dry-brush and wet cleaning.

What you will build

A light crawler with a soft brush and a small water or dry-brush system that travels across a panel, with edge detection, a rain/dust sensor and a battery.

Results you can expect

• Panel power before and after cleaning
• Power loss vs days of dust
• Energy used by the robot
• Net gain per cleaning
• Damage check

What you will learn

Solar maintenance, mobile robot design and energy trade-offs, relevant for large solar farms.

Tools and notes

ESP32/Arduino, motors, brushes, edge sensors, solar panel with INA219, Excel. Test on a sturdy tilted panel only. Do not use abrasive brushes.

Resume points from this project

• Built and tested Automatic Solar Panel Cleaning Robot: Energy Gain Study; objective: measure how much panel output is lost to dust and how much is recovered by each cleaning cycle, and compare dry-brush and wet cleaning.
• Measured and analysed panel power before and after cleaning and power loss vs days of dust; wrote the report and presented the results in a viva. Add your own numbers: [x].

Replace [x] with your own measured results. Write only what you really did.

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