I discussed a master's thesis at the College of Engineering at the University of Basrah (design and implementation of a solar panel cleaning robot).
The message presented by the student, Mortada Lafta, included a return to the proposed cleaning robot design for cleaning a row of solar panels using a cleaning brush that rotates vertically and moves along the row of solar panels by the two robotic carts installed on the upper and lower edges of the solar panels. Each trolley contained a permanent magnet DC motor that was connected through a helical gearbox to the trolley wheel. Using a transmission, the motion was transmitted from the trolley wheel to the brush roller, which is responsible for rotating the cleaning brush. The simulation design optimization method with mechanical calculations and tests of robot parts was used to model the proposed cleaning robot by estimating the parameters of the robot that were used to obtain the translational function describing its dynamic behavior.
The thesis aims to design and implement a robot used to clean solar panels and increase their efficiency by removing dust and dirt accumulated on their surfaces that prevent solar radiation from reaching them.
The thesis concluded that the test carried out on the proposed cleaning robot using the PID controller cross-coupling, excellent results and similar to the results obtained from the simulation model of the robot. The proposed cleaning robot was fitted with a tank and a water pump that were installed on the three aluminum bars connecting the two robot carts. The operation of the water pump was controlled using dust sensors which are used to measure dust density on the solar panels to reduce the amount of water used and avoid high dust layers turning into mud.
