Electrostatic methods for surface cleaning of PV panels

Abstract

The graduate dissertation titled "Electrostatic methods for surface cleaning of PV panels" investigates the effectiveness of electrostatic cleaning techniques for maintaining solar panels. The arising challenges, such as energy consumption and water scarcity, require the finding of novel techniques for surface cleaning. Electrostatic methods with low power consumption profiles are a good candidate to resolve even a part of the surface cleaning problem. Indeed, without wasting water and without any contact with the cleaned surface, electrostatic methods offer an interesting way to maintain PV panels. This work is aimed at the examination of electrostatic methods and their potential applications in solar panel cleaning.The dissertation proposes a series of experiments and simulations to evaluate the cleaning efficiency of electrostatic methods, considering parameters such as particles behavior and removal efficiency. Particularly, electrostatic induction and electric curtains were examined. Even though both methods can achieve the required task, electrostatic induction is easier to implement and leads to high cleaning efficiency