Dust Detector
A clean cell is clean savings
The 21st century energy industry in the face of the climate and energy crisis must bet on alternative energy sources. Renewable resources, especially photovoltaics, are gaining popularity - in July 2022 the total installed capacity of photovoltaics in Poland exceeded 10 GW. With such a large number of installations come significant operating costs. Modules are exposed to constant weathering, which causes the accumulation of dirt on their surface, thus reducing the amount of energy generated. In addition, rain alone is insufficient to remove the dirt, therofore washing by a qualified team is necessary. Currently, the need to wash a photovoltaic plant is determined by visual inspection.
Our solution is to continuously monitor the degree of dirt on the panels using a wireless electronic device called Dust Detector. The sensor is mounted at the photovoltaic installation, and you can monitor on your smartphone the current drop in efficiency due to sediment accumulation. This method is more accurate than visual inspection – the visual inspection does not determine exact energy losses and you need to engage specialists for this, or go to the roof by yourself. Constant monitoring of the contamination of the installation, allows you to optimally select the frequency of cleaning and avoid significant losses of produced energy, which directly translates into savings.
Information about the team
An interdisciplinary team consisting of a researcher and a doctoral student from the Gdansk University of Technology combines knowledge from materials engineering and electronics. Members, in addition to their activities in doctoral organizations and research groups, are engaged in scientific work and develop the latest technologies. The team, aware of the importance of ecological aspects and challenges faced by the modern energy industry, uses its experience, knowledge and skills to create solutions for more efficient use of resources from renewable sources.
Expectations and needs of the team
The project is at the stage of sent application to the patent office, we have a prototype of the device. From the project, we expect to be able to acquire knowledge and skills that will be useful to travel the road from prototype to a product ready for sale, among others: legal aspects of doing business, market analysis, customer acquisition, product development, marketing.
Keyword
Electronics and electrical engineering; Energy, RES, new sources
