Dust accumulation on solar panels significantly reduces energy output, particularly in arid, dusty, or industrial regions. This paper proposes and evaluates a low-cost, automated spray cleaning system designed to maintain panel performance while minimizing water usage and manual labor. The system uses scheduled or sensor based cleaning cycles, integrating basic mechanical and control components. A simulation-based analysis indicates that regular spray cleaning can recover up to 15-25% of power loss, reduce labor requirements by over 90%, and optimize water consumption by more than 60% compared to traditional manual cleaning. The system provides a scalable and efficient solution, especially for remote or large-scale solar deployments.
Hasaballah et al. (Thu,) studied this question.