Optimal cleaning robot on solar panels with time-sequence input based on internet of things

Abstract

Solar panels are the main component of solar power generation systems, and they function by converting solar energy into electrical energy. Indonesia has great potential for solar energy. Solar panels will work optimally at temperatures of 25 °C to 28 °C. The greater the temperature of the solar panel, the more power generated by the panel. The influence of solar radiation intensity can be caused by dust and animal droppings attached to the surface of the solar panel module. If the surface of a solar panel is covered with dust or dirt, which can block the entry of solar radiation, the resulting power output is not optimal. The aim of this research is to design and implement an automatic cleaning system for solar power plants. The system used is using ESP32 based on the Blynk application and adding internet of things (IoT) devices with a cleaning method using pumped water spraying, then assisted with wipers which have silicon rubber material to clean dust and dirt. Based on the cleaning optimization simulation calculations, we found that the optimal or efficient cleaning condition was once a month, with an efficiency of 75.17%.