{"id":171,"date":"2014-07-21T09:42:43","date_gmt":"2014-07-21T09:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zoldenergiablog.hu\/en\/?page_id=171"},"modified":"2014-07-21T09:44:21","modified_gmt":"2014-07-21T09:44:21","slug":"the-worlds-first-self-cleaning-solar-farm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/zoldenergiablog.hu\/en\/archive\/the-worlds-first-self-cleaning-solar-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"The world’s first self-cleaning solar farm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arava Power<\/strong> is Israel’s leading solar developer<\/strong> and a pioneer in large-size solar fields, founded in 2006. Partnering<\/strong> with industry leaders like Siemens<\/strong>, Arava Power<\/strong> supplies<\/strong> hundreds of megawatts of green energy<\/strong> to Israel from large-scale photovoltaic solar fields in Israel\u2019s Negev desert<\/strong>. Inaugurated in 2011 and using Suntech photovoltaic panels to generate 5MW, Ketura Sun<\/strong> is Arava Power\u2019s flagship site \u2013 and the first commercial solar field<\/strong> in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Located in the hot southern stretch of the Negev between the Gulf of Aqaba and the southern tip of the Dead Sea, Ketura Sun suffers from frequent sand storms and virtually no rain. Due to the expense of traditional water-based cleaning<\/strong>, the field\u2019s panels were initially cleaned 10 times a year<\/strong>. Manual panel cleaning would take up to five working days, during which time the field operated sub-optimally and work crews endangered sensitive equipment.In the interim between cleaning cycles, significant electricity production degradation owing to dust accumulation would occur – negatively impacting<\/strong> overall field efficiency<\/strong> and profitability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Solution!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arava Power<\/strong> chose Ecoppia\u2019s solution<\/strong> to lower Ketura Sun\u2019s solar panel cleaning overhead<\/strong> while dramatically improving<\/strong> the field\u2019s output<\/strong>. Following a successful pilot, in which Ecoppia\u2019s solution effectively removed 99% of panel dust<\/strong>, the entire Ketura Sun field was equipped with E4<\/strong>. The rollout took less than three months. Today, almost 100 centrally-controlled E4<\/strong> robots<\/strong> clean the entire field every night<\/strong>, ensuring maximum production efficiency during sunlight hours.\u00a0Leveraging Ecoppia\u2019s system, Arava Power markedly increases Ketura Sun field output<\/strong>, while simultaneously raising<\/strong> both operational efficiency<\/strong> and production stability<\/strong>. Ketura Sun managers retain full physical control and security over the site, with no physical cleaning crews required. Moreover, production is no longer dependent on the lag between sudden changes in weather and next cleaning cycle.<\/p>\n

E4\u2019s unique water-free robotic cleaning<\/strong> process combines a powerful, soft microfiber cleaning system with controlled airflow – removing 99% of dust daily<\/strong> and keeping panels at optimal production rates. Fully autonomous<\/strong> and energy-independent<\/strong>, each robot has its own solar panel for self\u2013charging<\/strong>, and self-cleaning<\/strong> mechanism. E4 leverages Ecoppia\u2019s Eco-Hybrid technology to recover energy when the robot descends the solar panel, and later reuse this energy to optimize performance. With a robust control unit and sensors that drive the robotic system along each solar panel row, Ecoppia\u2019s E4<\/strong> is easily remotely managed<\/strong>, monitored and controlled<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Eccopia E4 robot in action<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n