SolarBrush Drones Keep Solar Arrays Dust-Free

Oct-31-14 The robotic SolarBrush drones clean solar panels automatically along a pre-determined path, increasing the efficiency of the photovoltaic units while also lowering maintenance costs.

The drone-cleaning system, created by the startup Aerial Power, will be undergoing testing in the Chilean desert—a prime example of the type of area that offers mixed benefits to solar arrays. The system makes use of the company's SolarBrush drone, a lightweight robot able to run up to four hours a day on its replaceable battery. Each drone is equipped with a brush that sweeps dry dust and dirt from the surface of the panels, and up to eight different drones can be distributed on eight different panels by a single person.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the drones is their ability to move along an angle of up to 35 degrees, which is the optimum angle for solar panels in the dry and dusty Sunbelt countries—the area for which the drones are designed.

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[GIZMAG.COM]
[SOLARBRUSH.COM]

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