Indian solar faces growing water risk, Thinking for Robotic Module Cleaning
India’s rapidly progressing solar sector is heavily exposed to water risks, with around 94% of installed capacity deployed in water-stressed areas, according to a new report from consultancy firm Bridge to India. In India, the majority of the water used in cleaning solar projects (60%) comes from bore-wells in the ground, with the remaining 40% coming from surface water sources, such as rivers, canals and lakes. The sourcing method can significantly affect water costs. Moreover, the cost of water has doubled in many parts of the country over the last three years and Bridge to India forecasts that any further increase would start to “substantially impact” project economics. However, Bridge to India also noted that certain technologies are available that can reduce the necessity of water use, such as robotic cleaning and anti-soiling coating.
As per MNRE & International Solar Alliance Group, The robots cleaning without the use of water is less complicated as it does not store water and doesn’t need to pump high velocity water into the panel and the robots are consequently of lightweight. Solar Brush is an example of a robotic cleaning system for SPV panels without the usage of water. The robot `solar brush’ walks over the solar PV panel up to an inclination of 35 degrees.
