There is a risk of electrocution when cleaning solar panels without turning off the system. And it's not enough just to turn off the inverter. Panel cleaning is usually done during the day, and applying cold water to hot glass creates thermal stress, which can cause the panels to crack. This is a risk that system owners are often forced to take, since most technicians are not available to perform cleaning services at night.
The types of solar panel installation vary significantly and each has its own unique safety risks. Accessibility is one of the most challenging aspects of cleaning solar panels and especially in the floating and roof segments. However, what about electrical hazards? Solar panel cleaners rarely turn off a system to clean it, and water is a conductor. DC power connectors are often loose, poorly installed, or corroded.
The energy production figures provided by solar panel manufacturers and installers are based on the optimal performance of clean solar panels. You can stop scheduling a technician's visit, pay for labor, and worry about damage to solar panels or risks to human safety. With modern filtering technology, only soft, pure, chemical-free water is used to clean solar panels. Left unchecked, the result is degradation of the solar panel coating, corrosion of the panel's edges, and eventually, panel (and even system) failure.
It is not advisable to clean the solar panels of an agricultural or industrial photovoltaic installation by hand. Junction boxes and DC connectors are one of the many areas of risk that a solar panel cleaner should be aware of. A man from Adana lost his balance while cleaning the solar panels on the roof of his house, fell off the roof and died. A solar cleaning robot eliminates potential risks to life and damage to your commercial and industrial investment.
The Robsys RTM series solar panel cleaning robot was designed for cleaning solar panels on rooftops (see Figure 8 in Appendix G). There are many aspects of traditional solar panel cleaning that can add complexity and risks for the system owner. Introduction to safety when cleaning solar panels Analysis of occupational hazards Risks of solar cleaning — Part 1 Risks of solar cleaning — Part 2 Conclusion on protection against falls Finally, traditional solar panel cleaning techniques sometimes use abrasive and harmful chemicals, both to the panels and to the environment. The challenge is that photovoltaic designers are trained to focus solely on performance without thinking about the risks to solar panel cleaners.
In addition, the robot is controlled remotely, so cleaning staff don't need to move around the ceiling while cleaning the panels.
