Project
| # | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Solar Scrubber |
Jonathan Sengstock Sandra Georgy Yehia Ahmed |
Chihun Song | other1.pdf |
|
| Team: Yehia Ahmed (yahme6), Sandra Georgy (sgeor9), Jonathan Sengstock (jms32) Problem Keeping solar panels clean is crucial to their operation; if panels are obscured by dust, dirt, snow, or bird droppings, their power output is critically reduced. Additionally, solar power installations are in difficult-to-reach or remote locations such as rooftops and fields; this makes frequent cleaning of the solar panels difficult. Solution Our solution, which we call Solar Scrubber, is a robot that navigates on a 2-axis linear guide rail system. The guide rails will be mounted on the top and bottom of the solar array. The main body of the robot will contain the circuitry and electronics, cleaning module, and motors to navigate the guide rail system. Additionally, the Scrubber will have a module connected to the output wires of the solar panel to measure its power output. If a section of the panel is outputting lower power than the rest, the Scrubber will automatically clean that section of the panel. The cleaning module will be a rotating cloth (similar to a mop head), and a water or cleaning solution dispenser. We will be designing our project with the ECE building solar panels as the primary use case. The system is composed of several integrated subsystems, including a rail-based locomotion unit for travel, an MPPT algorithm for power analysis, a cleaning module for scrubbing and fluid delivery, an ESP32 control unit for managing the Finite State Machine and Bluetooth communication, a power conversion system to step down 120V wall power to usable DC voltages, and the solar panel itself which serves as the operational surface. Locomotion/Movement The locomotion subsystem enables movement across the solar panel through vertical and horizontal drive components powered by 12V DC motors and drivers that interface with the microcontroller to ensure full coverage of the cleaning area. We aim to use linear guide rails, similar to how a 3D printer navigates. MPPT and Algorithm The Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) component extracts maximum power from the solar panel and detects the power losses caused by dirt. The MPPT analyzes the I-V characteristics of the solar panel to identify a group of cells that aren’t meeting expected performance. The MPPT measurements will help us perform target cleaning rather than cleaning the full solar array. In addition, the MPPT measurements can be used to compare the output power before and after cleaning to determine the efficiency of the Solar Panel Cleaner. Key components include ADC input (MCU), current sensor, perturb-and-observe algorithm in firmware (runs on STM32), and data logging for power measurements. Cleaning Module The cleaning module features a 12V DC motor with a rotating towel and a 12V water pump for fluid delivery. To bridge the gap between the 120V wall power and the 3.3V logic of the ESP32, the system uses an AC-DC power adapter and an L298N motor driver. The adapter converts the high-voltage wall power into a steady 12V supply, while the motor driver acts as a high-speed electronic switch. By receiving low-voltage commands from the ESP32, the driver directs the 12V power to the scrubbing motor and pump, allowing the Finite State Machine to control the rotation and spraying sequences based on the cleaning path. MCU The ESP32 Development Board acts as the robot's brain and was chosen because it has built-in Bluetooth to allow for manual control and data monitoring. The system uses a Finite State Machine (FSM) which is a logic map that tells the robot whether it should be in Auto mode to clean the panels, Manual mode to respond to your Bluetooth commands, or Idle mode when at the home position. The Bluetooth capability is especially important for the MPPT algorithm, as it allows the robot to wirelessly transmit real-time power data to a phone or tablet so you can see if the cleaning is actually improving efficiency. Power Conversion The power conversion subsystem supplies and regulates the voltages to all electronic components. Key components include a AC–DC converter (120V AC from the building grid to 12V DC), and DC-DC stepdown converters to supply the motors with 12V and the ICs with 3.3V and 5V. Solar Panel The solar panel we will be using is targeted for the panels on the roof of the ECEB. The dimensions of these panels are not posted online, but each panel outputs about 280 Watts. Our project will aim to function on existing solar panels, so purchasing a panel should not be necessary. Criterion For Success To ensure the Solar Scrubber is effective, the following goals will be tested: The cleaning module must be able to detect the cells with dirt or debris, enable targeted cleaning, and should be able to tell the difference between dirt and shading/lack of sun. Upon cleaning the panel, it should be able to remove the majority of debris (more than 75%). The cleaning module should be able to perform a full panel sweep every 2 hours autonomously. The entire module should be able to function in a variety of conditions, including temperatures between 0° F and 100° F, and weather between sunshine, light rain, and snow. The electronics and movement units should show little to no sign of breakdown or failure after 50+ uses. |
|||||