May 4 2015
Ecoppia, an innovative developer of automated, water-free photovoltaic (PV) solar panel cleaning solutions, today announced that its E4 robotic solar panel cleaning system is now fully operational on five additional PV production facilities in the Middle East, totaling more than 35 MW. With these new systems in its portfolio, Ecoppia’s E4 system is now cleaning approximately five million panels every month.
“Desert regions are prime candidates for solar PV, aside from one glaring issue: soiling. Reports indicate this phenomenon can reduce overall energy generation by as much as 40 percent, which significantly eats into a system owner’s return on investment,” said Eran Meller, CEO of Ecoppia. “Our expanding project portfolio solidifies the E4 solution’s unrivaled ability to cost-effectively clean large-scale installations, and without wasting dwindling water resources in the process.”
Ecoppia’s E4 robots were retrofitted onto the existing solar power plants, owned by leading Israeli solar developer Arava Power, in just six months.
Three of the systems are located in the Arava desert, a region that suffers from frequent dust storms originating in Saudi Arabia, with few rainy days to naturally wash the debris away. The remaining plants are in the Negev desert, an area that has significant dust blown in from the Sub-Sahara region, also with minimal rain. Prior to the E4 installation, each system was cleaned manually, requiring tens of millions of liters of water and costly manpower resources.
Ecoppia's robotic, water-free cleaning solution performs daily cleaning to remove 99 percent of dust on each panel and ensure a higher output from each plant. With the advanced E4 control system, supported by real-time and forecasted data from The Weather Channel, the systems can be programmed with a customized cleaning schedule for optimal results.
About Ecoppia
Ecoppia designs and produces innovative photovoltaic panel cleaning solutions to cost-effectively maximize the performance of utility-scale installations. The company’s water-free, automated technology removes dust from panels on a daily basis to ensure peak output, even in the toughest desert conditions. Supported by a robust control unit, systems can be remotely programmed and managed to minimize O&M costs. Ecoppia is a privately held organization, backed by prominent and experienced international investment funds and led by a team of energy and robotics experts. For more information about Ecoppia please visit www.ecoppia.com.
Source: http://ecoppia.com/