Pollution, sand, dust and other factors can influence the production of the PV modules up to 96.3% and this is becoming an important factor addressed by more and more Asset Managers/Solar park owners.
In addition, as we are talking about renewable energy facilities, the environmental impact during the operation of the PV plant has to be considered in all the processes while delivering all the efforts for higher production at lower OPEX costs. In remote areas where water access is limited, the optimization of the cleaning procedure by using less water is imperative.
Today the O&M managers are looking for the best trade-off between keeping the production ratio at maximal levels and at the same time saving resources and therefore costs. An efficient cleaning process can either reduce OPEX costs due to less number of cleanings or increasing the production levels while keeping the same number of cleanings. One thing is for sure: Cleaning the PV modules is mandatory no matter if the PV module is installed in a villa rooftop in Belgium or in a utility scale PV plant in Morocco.
How are Asset Managers and O&M managers addressing this mandatory topic?
It is becoming more and more usual to see cleaning machines with brush rolls fixed in the strings of the new PV plants. The mechanization of the process minimizes the number of human resources needs and secures a faster process. The alternative up to today is to clean the modules one by one with water.
As the tendency for a better, efficient and optimized cleaning of the PV plants will increase in this next decade, it is mandatory that all the products/equipment’s/robots, etc are certified by module manufacturers. The lack of knowledge in this area can generate significant risks to the projects once the warranties of the Modules (25 to 30 years) can be affected by the cleaning processes that use abrasive mechanisms or cleaning products.
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Asset Managers should have into account to accept only certified cleaning processes and products in order to always be on the safe side. Accepting non certified cleaning processes and products may bring high responsibilities, according to the CEO of ChemiTek. (HCN)
