Here’s a job that no one will mind being replaced by robots, meticulously cleaning solar panels 2-3 times a year in baking heat in deserts. Hell yeah, let a robot to it. Sunpower has bought Greenbotics, who builds these helpful robots, which use much less water than humans too.
Greenbotics is a leader in optimizing the performance of solar power plants through a cost-effective cleaning process. For the past two years, the company has used its proprietary CleanFleetâ„¢ robots and service offerings to wash hundreds of megawatts of systems in the Southwest and Western U.S. The robots can be configured for use with a variety of solar panels and mounting types, including fixed-tilt arrays and single-axis trackers and offer a less costly and greener alternative to manual cleaning methods, pressure washers and sprayer trucks. The robots use under a half a cup of water to clean each panel, which is approximately 90 percent less than traditional cleaning methods, making this solution optimum for solar systems built in desert conditions.