Problem Statement about Space Microgrids

Solar Panel Automated Cleaner (SPAC)

1. PROBLEM

Historical Introduction: In 1839, Alexandre Edmond Becquerellar, a French physicist, first discovered the ability to convert the sun's energy into electricity using solar cells. This concept was expanded upon but not fully understood until Albert Einstein published his paper on the production and transformation of light in 1905. The use of solar power was not able to advanced until the mid-20th century through the funding of the U.S. military, which used solar panels as a power source for early satellites [1]. By the end of the 20th century, the solar panel price dropped and became affordable to everyday people [2].

As a clean and renewable source of energy, solar power is growing more popular throughout the U.S. [3]. Residential solar panels, having an average lifespan of over twenty-five years, can pay for themselves in less than half that time [4]. With the continued popularity, solar energy could engulf 25% of energy usage by 2050 [5].

Solar panels need to maintain a clean surface or else they can lose up to 30% power efficiency [6]. Cleaning residential solar panels is time consuming, or having panels cleaned professionally can cost hundreds of dollars [7]. SPAC eliminates these problems by offering an affordable, time efficient cleaning alternative for everyday homeowners to maximize the effectiveness of their solar panels.

Market and Competitive Product Analysis: SPAC’s primary marketing target is the consumer who owns personal-use solar panels in the United States. Eliminating the burden of manually cleaning the panels, SPAC is an easy alternative to maintain optimum solar panel efficiency. Hiring a company to clean a user’s panels is often not worth the expense. The cost difference between a clean solar panel and a dirty solar panel for the average residential user is $400. However, most businesses charge more than $400 per visit to clean the panels. For this reason, an affordable, easy method is needed for home users who desire the absolute best performance out of their panels.

Many products have been developed to clean solar panels; however, most are large, heavy, and expensive. Some examples of these include the Eccopia E4 robots, [8] which use heavy scrubber flaps and wiring harnesses; or GEVA-BOT [9], a scrubbing bar that requires a constant connection to water and multiple people to set up. Smaller designs exist but are often either difficult for homeowners to purchase (due to most panel cleaners being sold from overseas providers) or are inefficient to run. Scrobby [10] and Sinfonia Technology [11] are two examples of companies who had innovative ideas for personal, automatic solar panel cleaners, yet the product never made it into market.

In addition to the previous issues, a majority of the solar panel cleaners are not sold in the United States. SPAC will solve this issue for U.S. consumers by being affordable and easily available for purchase. Our product is the lightweight, reliable, easy-to-use cleaner that homeowners need to effortlessly clean their solar panels.

Concise Problem Statement: Solar panels accumulate dirt and other obstructions over time, which decreases their efficiency. Large solar panel arrays are time consuming to maintain, and tend to be kept in hard-to-reach places, such as roofs of buildings. This makes solar panels difficult to clean effectively and safely, especially on the residential level. Based on a study by

The Center for Construction Research and Training, Laura Walter writes “A total of 20,498 occupational fatalities occurred in the construction industry from 1992-2009. Of these deaths, nearly one-third – 6,591 – were attributed to fall injuries, with 2,163 fatalities resulting from roof falls” [12]. Although this related to construction, it gives insight to how dangerous it is to work on the roofs of buildings. These aspects contribute to why it is expensive to have an outside source to clean the panels. Homeowners are in need of an easy, inexpensive, and safe way to keep their solar panels clear of obstructions and at their highest efficiency.

SPAC navigates the panels by mapping them out while cleaning, using infrared edge detectors to discern the user's unique solar panel configuration. Our product utilizes non-damaging cleaning solution, a sponge scrubbing arm, and a squeegee bar to clean the solar panel surface. The design is lightweight compared to other cleaning alternatives, which makes lifting it up to rooftops safe and easy. Rubber tracks ensure that the automated cleaner stays on the panels at increased angles without slipping off. The device works in tandem with an app which monitors battery life and liquid solution levels, as well as notifies the user when the process is complete. This allows for a carefree operation of our product, without the need for constant monitoring.

Implications of Your Success: Solar Energy Industries Association states, “Solar’s increasing competitiveness against other technologies has allowed it to quickly increase its share of total U.S. electrical generation- from just 0.1% in 2010 to 1.4% today. By 2020 solar should surpass 3% of total generation is expected to hit 5% by 2022” [13]. With the increased installation of solar panels across the United States, the need for a method to safely and affordably clean them increases as well. Because of the risk of injury, hiring professional cleaning services is expensive. Our product lowers the risk of injury due to hand cleaning solar panels by reducing the time spent in elevated areas. Our low cost design allows the user to clean their solar panels as frequently as desired, without the risk of injury and financial burden.

With the current ways to clean solar panels, Robert Brakels makes this observation, “Because the average increase in output from cleaning panels is usually small, taking into account the time and risk of injury if you do it yourself or how much you will need to pay to have it done, under normal circumstances it is not cost effective” [14]. With SPAC, it is no longer a normal circumstance and is more cost effective for homeowners to clean their solar panels. Using an example from Robert Brakels, a company is hiring a contractor to clean solar panels at $5 a panel, and they have a 20 panel array. Solar panels generate an average of 25 kilowatt-hours a day with a 44 cent feed in tariff per kilowatt-hour. If cleaning the panels twice a year only increased efficiency by 2%, then the total savings would amount to $80. However, if the cleaning expense was $400, then the company actually lost $320 by having someone else clean their panels [14]. This example shows how sometimes it doesn’t make financial sense to clean solar panels. With SPAC at less than $400, using the same example, our product is almost paid for after a few uses. With a competitive initial cost and low maintenance costs, SPAC eventually pays for itself, allowing the user to save money with every cleaning of their solar panels.

2. REFERENCES

[1] M. Sabbas, “History of Solar Power,” Feb. 12, 2012. [Online]. Available: http:// instituteforenergyresearch.org/ analysis/history-of-solar-power/, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[2] C. Victoria, “The History of Solar Power,” Jun. 29, 2017. [Online]. Available: https:// www.experience.com/advice/careers/ideas/the-history-of-solar-power/, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[3] J. Miller, “Solar Panels Growing in Popularity Among U.S. Residents,” Sep. 20, 2016. [Online]. Available: http://blog.dwellworks.com/solar-panels-growing-in-popularity-among-us - residents2, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[4] Southern Current, “How Long Does It Take For A Solar Panel Installation To Pay For Itself,” Mar. 22, 2017. [Online]. Available: http://southerncurrentllc.com/long-take-solar-panel - installation-pay/, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[5] L. Gan, “The Growing Popularity of Solar Panels,” Sep. 4, 2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/ugc/articles/2012/09/the-growing-popularity-of-solar - panels.html, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[6] M. Crawford, “Self-Cleaning Solar Panels Maximize Energy Efficiency,” Oct. 2012. [Online]. Available: http://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/energy/self-cleaning-solar -panels-maximize-efficiency, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[7] Thumbtack, “How much does solar panel cleaning cost?” Aug. 28, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.thumbtack.com/p/solar-panel-cleaning-cost, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[8] “Ecoppia - Robotic Solar Cleaning Solution,” May 2012. [Online]. Available: https:// www.ecoppia.com/, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[9] “GEVA-BOT.” [Online]. Available: https://www.geva-bot.com/home, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[10] “Scrobby Solar | The Robot to Clean Your Solar Panels,” 2017. [Online]. Available: https://scrob.by/, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[11] S. Kato, “New Robot Cleans Solar Panels Without Rails,” Nov. 27, 2013. [Online]. Available: https://www.techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20131127/319062/, Accessed on: Jan. 23, 2018.

[12] L. Walter, “Falls from Roofs Account for One-Third of Construction Fall Fatalities,” Apr. 16, 2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.ehstoday.com/construction/falls-roof-account-one

-third-construction-fall-fatalities, Accessed on: Feb. 6, 2018.

[13] Solar Energy Industries Association, “Solar Industry Data,” 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.seia.org/solar-industry-data, Accessed on: Jan. 30, 2018.

[14] R.Brakels, "Is Solar Panel Cleaning a Waste of Time and Money," Sep. 27, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/solar-panel-cleaning/, Accessed on: Jan. 22, 2018.