ImpactAlpha, September 12 – Installing solar power capacity is one thing. Capturing it is another. Today’s solar technology converts roughly 20% of the light they capture to power. When panels are dirty, they can lose up to 25% of their efficiency.
Pune-based Nocca Robotics is trying to make it easier and less costly for India’s solar farm operators to keep their panels running at peak performance. It has raised $1.7 million in seed funding from the Indian Angel Network Fund to manufacture its automated waterless solar panel cleaning bots.
The bots are meant to help utility-scale solar operators offset multi-monthly cleaning costs and production losses. Nocca’s Harshit Rathore said in a statement that eliminating water-usage from the cleaning process was a key impact focus.
“The impact that the switch to water-less cleaning option can drive on the ecological level, is immense,” Rathore said. “Coming up with innovative alternatives to all water-based industrial processes should be a top priority of our age.”