Cleaning PhotoVoltaic Solar Panels by Drone Aerodynamic

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, sandstorms are quite frequent and cause dust accumulation on PV panel surfaces that act as a barrier to solar radiation. This decreases of the solar radiation energy absorption and subsequently reduces the energy output of the panels. The present effort aims at reducing the dust accumulation on PV panels by flying the drone above these panels at certain heights and time intervals. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of a drone flying over photovoltaic (PV) panels to remove accumulated dust and improve their efficiency. The downward thrust of the drone due to its cruise at a certain height above the PV panels is able to remove most of the accumulated dust if performed regularly. The tests were conducted at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) beach, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia by loading each panel uniformly with 20, 50, and 100 CC of dust.