The depleting fuel resources and rising environmental concerns have evoked the need of decarbonization at a global scale. With the world resorting to renewables to fulfill their energy needs, solar energy sector has been one of the most phenomenally expanding verticals worldwide. Electricity generation through solar panel installations are becoming more prominent. The approach is used as an alternative to fossil fuel electricity generation and has been deemed to mitigate global warming by decreasing GHG emissions.

It is imperative to mention that an efficient electricity generation process through solar panels requires solar panel cleaning techniques. Operation of solar panels completely depends upon exposure to the sunlight; more light hits the panel, more power it will generate. Solar panels are placed in upward angle, which makes them prone to bird droppings, general dust and dirt that cannot be washed off by rain alone. Accumulated dirt and bird droppings decrease the area of exposure of panel to the light and reduce its output. The build-up of dirt can have a negative impact on the potential energy production as per desired by the manufacturer. Cleaning of this accumulated dirt is vital to protect solar panels and maintain the optimum performance.

Governments across the globe have been introducing various policies to promote use of solar energy. With the rise in installation of solar panels as guided by governments, solar panel cleaning services will also witness significant growth. China is one of the top countries having the highest solar capacity installed in the world and is likely to generate massive solar panel cleaning demand. The government of China has been making heavy investments in renewable energy to deal with rising air and water pollution in the country. 

Wet cleaning methods are deployed to get hardened dirt cleaned completely, where other methods fail. To deal with such situations, Clean Solar Solutions has recently secured distribution contract with Polywater, an American chemical supplier. The solar panel cleaning fluid of Polywater is  concentrated in form, non-solvent compound, which makes panel surface areas clean and shiny. Cleaning of panels with the fluid improves power generation and increase economic return of PV installations.

Keeping in mind the scarcity of water resources around the world, dry solar panel cleaning technology is being developed and is gaining traction among solar energy producers. Lately, Ecoppia, leading developer of autonomous, water-free photovoltaic solar panel cleaning solutions, was selected by Fortum to deploy its dry solar panel cleaning technology across different projects in India. The company will offer its services for a production capacity of around 427 MWp. The move by Fortum intends to offer clean energy without exhausting water resources and ensure that solar energy production is cost-effective, as well as environment friendly. Also, waterless solar panel cleaning methods are used in industrial setting at large to prevent any severe shock hazard arising out of loose connections, where the output voltage is very high.

Rise in awareness among people to increase use of clean energy and conserve other natural resources is encouraging companies to adopt solar energy. Also, targets of governments to achieve a certain level of clean energy production and usage in the coming years will increase adoption of solar panels. Regulatory measures are also being introduced to reduce carbon footprint , which are likely to trigger solar energy usage thereby propelling solar energy cleaning demand.

Source: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/solar-panel-cleaning-market