Ultrasonic Piezoelectric Transducer for Dust Removal from Solar Panels
Unmet Need
Solar panels are an increasingly common source of electricity worldwide, supplying ~5% of the world’s energy needs and expected to continue growing in energy production by up to 25% a year. Whether on top of single family housing or in a grid miles long, solar energy’s biggest advantage is that panels can be placed anywhere with a reasonable amount of sunlight. Energy harvesting becomes increasingly effective in environments with high amounts of sunlight. Deserts, such as the Mojave in the US, the Gobi in China, and the Sahara in Northern Africa, have been identified as ideal locations for solar energy due to the high amount of sunlight and relatively stable weather conditions. However, deserts provide a unique challenge to solar energy through dust buildup. Debris in the form of soil, dust, or sand can build up on the photovoltaic panels and lead to a 40% drop in energy efficiency. Current cleaning solutions for removing debris includes mechanical cleaning, anti-soiling coatings, and electrostatic removal. All these cleaning methods can reduce debris to restore energy collection, but have downsides – mechanical cleaning can damage the panels, anti-soiling coatings are difficult to manufacture and add substantial cost at limited effectivity, and electrostatic cleaning methods reduces overall power efficiency by up to 15%. Thus, there is a need for solar panel cleaning methods that can effectively reduce debris buildup without damaging panels or reducing energy production.
Technology
Duke inventors have developed an ultrasonic transducer that utilizes electricity to produce vibrations on the surface of a material. This is intended to be used on the surface of a crystalline, such as solar panels, to remove debris without damaging the underlying material. Specifically, the transducer utilizes surface acoustic waves to rapidly oscillate the surface of a material, overcoming the debris adherence forces resulting in clean panel surfaces. This has been demonstrated to reduce debris coverage by upwards of 70% after only 5 minutes of operation and would be ideal for debris removal from solar panels in high particulate environments.
Other Applications
This technology could also automatically clean other crystalline surfaces, such as glass windows, without scratching or otherwise damaging the surface.
Advantages
• Effectively cleans solar panels without damaging the surface or significantly reducing energy production
• Can be added to existing solar panels without excessive manufacturing requirements
• Highly efficient, only requiring a few minutes of operation per day