Automatic Cleaning Of PV solar Panel
Atmiya Institute of Technology and Science
B.E. 7th Semester (2017-18)
Name of student Enrolment No.
1. Maru Suruchi 150033109025
2. Vaja Hiral 150033109043
3. Sundavadra Santok 150033109036
4. Ramanuj Dipti 150033109029
Faculty Guide
H.O.D
Prof. Prachal Jadeja
DR. Dharmesh Pandya
GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
CHANDKHEDA, AHMEDABAD
AFFILIATED
ATMIYA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
(2017-2018)
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project entitled [Automatic Cleaning of PV Solar Panel] is a bonfire report of the work carried out by Maru Suruchi (150033109025) in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the subject Project is the record of work carried under our supervision and guidance. This project work was done at the Institute and taking the help from the Industry.
Date of Submission
Guided By
H.O.D
Prof. Prachal Jadeja
Dr. Dharmesh Pandya
GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
CHANDKHEDA, AHMEDABAD
AFFILIATED
ATMIYA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
(2017-2018)
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project entitled [Automatic Cleaning Of PV Solar Panel] is a bonfire report of the work carried out by Vaja Hiral (150033109043)in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the subject Project is the record of work carried under our supervision and guidance. This project work was done at the Institute and taking the help from the Industry.
Date of Submission
Guided By
H.O.D
Prof. Prachal Jadeja
Dr. Dharmesh Pandya
GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
CHANDKHEDA, AHMEDABAD
AFFILIATED
ATMIYA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
(2017-2018)
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project entitled [Automatic Cleaning Of PV Solar Panel] is a bonfire report of the work carried out by Sundavadra Santok (150033109036) in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the subject Project is the record of work carried under our supervision and guidance. This project work was done at the Institute and taking the help from the Industry.
Date of Submission
Guided By
H.O.D
Prof. Prachal Jadeja
Dr. Dharmesh Pandya
GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
CHANDKHEDA, AHMEDABAD
AFFILIATED
ATMIYA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
(2017-2018)
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project entitled [Automatic Cleaning Of PV Solar Panel] is a bonfire report of the work carried out by Ramanuj Dipti (150033109029) in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the subject Project is the record of work carried under our supervision and guidance. This project work was done at the Institute and taking the help from the Industry.
Date of Submission
Guided By
H.O.D
Prof. Prachal Jadeja
Dr. Dharmesh Pandya
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
As the students of Electrical Engineering in Atmiya Institute of Technology and Science, we got an opportunity to implement our ideas and knowledge to solve real world problems. From our project we also gained practical experience on problem solving and application of knowledge.
We wish to express our deep gratitude and sincere thanks to Prof. Prachal Jadeja from Electrical Engineering department, Atmiya Institute of Technology and Science for the inspiration, guidance and encouragement that he has given us during the project work.
ABSTRACT
The solar cell modules are generally employed in dusty environments which is the case in tropical countries like India. The dust and particulate matter gets accumulated on the reflecting surface of the module and blocks the incident light from the sun. It reduces the power generation capacity of the module. The power output will be decreased as much as up to 50% if the module is not cleaned for a long time. In order to regularly clean the dust, an automatic cleaning system has been designed, which senses the dust on the solar panel and also cleans the module automatically. This automated system is implemented using Arduino(Uno) which controls the DC motor .This mechanism consists of a two sensors (LDR ). For cleaning the PV module, a mechanism consists of sliding brushes has been developed. In terms of daily energy generation, the presented automatic-cleaning scheme provides about 30% more energy output when compared to the dust accumulated PV module.
energy usage index indicates the state of growth of a country. The use of renewable energy sources like solar PV, wind and such alternatives has increased in the recent years. Considerable loss in conversion efficiency of solar PV system has been noticed due to non-availability of proper insolation and accumulation of dust particles on the panels or shading. A comparative study of various cleaning methods of solar panels has been done in this article with emphasis on innovative idea of separation of dust by electrostatic precipitator (ESP).Electrostatic precipitators uses static electricity to remove the dust from the panel by applying energy only to the particle matter being collected and therefore is very efficient in its applications unlike conventional cleaning. This increases the solar panels insolation absorption ability. The weight sensor continuously monitor the weight of the dust on the panel and Arduino controller gives the command to clean the dust when defined feedback is received from the sensors.
According to few research works it has been observed that when solar panels are working in dusty environments the efficiency of the panel reduces with time as dust gets deposited on the panel surface. There are different methods for cleaning the deposition of dust on the surface of the solar panel. In This project we are going to use the wiper based cleaning technique.
Table Of Contents
Chapter 1:
1 PMMS Activities’ (PPR) (PSAR)(DE-Canvas)(Plegerisiom report)
Chapter 2:
2 Introduction
1.1 Analysis of dust on panel
1.2 Manual cleaning
1.3 Automatic wiper based cleaning
Chapter 3:
3 Design
3.1 Design concept
3.2 Cleaning mechanism
Chapter 4:
4 Working
4.1 Working of the system
Chapter 5:
5 System components, flow chart , advantages- disadvantages, conclusion
5.5 System components
5.1 flow chart
5.2 Purpose
5.3 Advantages – Disadvantages
5.4 Features
5.5 Conclusion
Chapter 1
PMMS Activities:
PPR 1:
PPR 2:
PPR 3:
PPR 4:
PSAR 1:
PSAR 2:
PSAR 3:
PSAR 4:
DE Canvas:
1. Product Development Canvas:
2 Ideation Canvas:
3. Empathy Mapping Canvas:
4 AEIOU Summary:
CHAPTER 2
INTRODUCTION
Now a day, energy related aspects are becoming extremely important. They involve, for instance, a rational use of resources, the environmental impact related to the pollutants emission and the consumption of non-renewable resources. For these reasons there is an increasing worldwide interest in sustainable energy production and energy saving. Among the technologies that could play a role in the generation of sustainable and widespread energy, interesting solutions are represented by photovoltaic (PV) cells, wind generators, biomass plants and fuel cells. In particular, photovoltaic systems can be considered one of the most widespread solution with significant margins of improvement while ensuring the generation of energy with low environmental impact. Solar energy is one of the main promising clean energy sources in future of the world. The technology of Photovoltaic PV is always on continuous developing in many applications, so it is generate electricity without dangerous effect on environment. It can utilize in pipelines catholic protection. Furthermore, Photovoltaic systems are today largely used in rural electrification, and grid connected systems, also in a water pumping irrigation and remote check point etc. Because of their versatility, low maintenance, and long lifetime, photovoltaic (PV) modules are an alternative for small off the grid energy projects. In recent years, the use of these devices in the greater Sonoran Desert region has increased considerably.
In the countries those have dusty environment accumulation of dust on the solar panels leads to reduction of the transmittance of the panel. Solar desalination plants in some of the middle-east countries like the solar desalination plant of Abu Dhabi suffers from the deposition of dust on its solar plates. The effect of the accumulated dust will be reduced with the increasing of tilt angle, since the tilt angle will affect the exposure time to the sunlight also. But the best way to eliminate the effect of the accumulated dust on the solar panels is to clean the panels.
Cleaning the solar panels is normally by washing which is tedious and cumbersome and also expensive in terms of the labour involved and time. In practice cleaning of solar panels should be frequently done which makes the process more laborious and expensive.
Analysis of dust on panel:
The accumulation of dust on the surface of a photovoltaic module decreases the radiation reaching the solar cell and produces losses in the generated voltage and power. Dust not only reduces the radiation on the solar cell, but also changes the dependence on the angle of incidence of such radiation. According to the research, the daily energy loss along a year caused by dust deposited on the surface of the PV module is around 4.4%. In long periods without rain, daily energy losses can be higher than 20%. In addition, the irradiance losses are not constant throughout the day and are strongly dependent on the sunlight incident angle and the ratio between diffuse and direct radiations. When studied as a function of solar time, the irradiance losses are symmetric with respect noon, where they reach the minimum value. The PV module performance has been tested under the deposition of different pollutants (red soil, ash, sand, calcium carbonate, and silica).
According to the obtained results, a drop of PV module’s voltage and output power is observed when dust particles are deposited on the PV module depending on the mass accumulated, and the type of pollutant. Moreover, larger reduction occurs when the PV module’s temperature is increased. In addition to that keeping the PV modules clean and cool. results efficient system performance. Power generation in the solar panel with dust and without dust with varying load resistance is determined experimentally.
Methods of cleaning solar panel:
1 Wiper
Manual Cleaning:
This method require human operator to clean manually with the help of mop or any wipers with suitable support structures as .The quality of cleaned surface is judged by visual method by the operator himself for the satisfactory level or till the dust particles get wiped out completely. The process is found to be very tedious and challenging as the solar power plants consists of numbers of panels installed at a height of 12 to 20 feet or more from the ground. The time required and safety of the person and panel is in threat. To clean the panels manually the fluids like cleansers or gels has to be used which act upon the panel and reduces the surface transparency if cleaning is not proper. There are quite chances of physical damages to the PV panels which cannot be avoided
Automatic wiper based cleaning:
The automatic wiper based cleaning incorporate a rubber wiper and water pot for the spray of water with additives and cleaning. The process is exactly like vehicle glass cleaning and require an automatic mechanism to operate and complete the task. Mechanism is battery operated automatic wiper based cleaning This method is similar to earlier one and operated automatically by the suitable control mechanism but the impacts are similar to those earlier ones
Chapter 3
Design Concept:
In this paper the effects of accumulated dust on the performance of the solar panels are investigated by referring the results obtained by experimentation in dusty atmosphere of different levels. Also, an auto cleaning system to work as the auto cleaner which is equipped on the flat solar panel is proposed. The design of the auto cleaning system will be flexible in order to fix on different sizes of solar panels. In accordance with the dimensions of the water is spread on the panel and simultaneously the cleaning system gets on with forward and backward motion. Then cleaning system again gets on to totally clean the panel. In this way the lost efficiency is recovered by this module.
Cleaning Mechanism:
Wiper -Using a battery, we applied 12V at the motor connected to the panel to verify the wiper movement across the panel. Sprayer-We could not test the valve with water in the lab. However, after the demo, we went outside and connected a water supply to the panel using a garden hose. Then, using a battery, we applied 12V at the solenoid valve. This allowed water to be sprayed onto the panel. The fully assembled system was able to detect a shaded cell from debris. Furthermore, it initiated the wiper motion down and up the panel to clear the debris. Also, the system maintained the battery charged when there was no cleaning and sufficient power was available. More importantly, the project decreased the daily energy lost compared to the case where the PV panel was left shaded for an entire day. In order to determine energy savings, the PV Panel was placed under a solar test bed under identical conditions to test the energy loss from one endanger the public or the environment. We have made a list of safety precautions during the design review phase to prevent the injury to anyone that may come in contact with a working version of our project. To be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on available data; to reject bribery in all its forms. Although, bribery hasn’t been an issue, it’s worth noting that the project’s performance is measured according to data collected from real tests. That way there is no surprise as to the behavior of the project if someone else were to pick it up if we were to turn it over to another team or a consumer. To improve the understanding of technology; its appropriate application, and potential consequences Throughout the design and testing our group is gaining a more in depth feel for how electrical engineering is actually applied to create a real system that has a definite purpose in the real world. Also, the consequences of poor design are much more evident.
CHAPTER 4
Working of the system:
In the automatic cleaning system, when the dust accumulates on the solar panel, the resistance of the LDR increases due to which more than 0.7V is supplied to the base and current starts flowing from collector to emitter. The LED which is in series with the resistor indicate the presence of dust on the panel. The continuous glowing of LED indicates, that the current is flowing from collector to emitter, this is taken as input pulse for the rotating the motor in both the directions for specified time, until the panel is free from the dust.
First LDR sensor detects the dust on panel. If the sensor gives 1 signal to arduino controller means no dust accumulated or its density does not affect solar panel performance. When it gives 0 to controller means need to remove dust by cleaning mechanism. controller take action as per programmed in uploaded in it. It drives the drive mechanism within control of limit sensors and make one complete cycle for cleaning After further check LDR module check for dust on panel if it is clean then wait for dust to be accumulated a sun cycle is going on.
Chapter 5
System Components :
LDR Sensor: used for detecting dust on solar panel
Arduino Uno: Open source low cost micro controller
Driver: 12volt dc motor driver
Limiting switch : used for limit the path
Flow Chart:
Figure : Flow Chart
PURPOSE
Our Project will serve the following three main purposes:
1. To reduce labor of user in cleaning of solar panel.
2. To save time consumed in cleaning of solar panel.
3. To provide an efficient and reliable cleaning.
Advantages:
1. Increase the efficiency of solar panel.
2. Cost of production is low.
3. No need to purchase heavy machinery
4. Reduces threat to human life
5. Manual assistance is not required
6. Working principle is quiet easy.
7. Compact
8. Portable
9. Highly Efficient
Disadvantages:
1. The solar power energy generation entirely depends on the sunlight incident on the solar panel sand which in turn depend on the climatic conditions.
2. The batteries used to store solar power are very costly, huge sized and need to be replaced from time to time.
3. Rust
Features:
1. One time installation.
2. Effective wiping System.
3. Easily Replaceable wiper.
4. Waterproof.
5. Adjustable degrees of elevation of panels.
6. Charging system compatible with regular 12v lead acid batteries.
Conclusion:
This project highlights the effect of dust, dirt pollen, and bird dropping on PV systems efficiency. However, the development of the cleaning system can solve the those problems, and also a comparative study of different cleaning techniques is done. In this project we are using wiper technique for cleaning of solar panel.
Reference:
1. A Comparative Study of Dust Cleaning Methods for the Solar PV Panels.
2. Design And Development Of Solar Panel Cleaning System.
3. Design an automated cleaning system to improve efficiency of photovoltaic cells.