Autonomous Robotic System for Solar Panel Cleaning

This project focuses on designing and developing an autonomous robotic system aimed at efficiently cleaning solar photovoltaic (SPV) panels in large solar farms. The robotic system features a Prismatic-Revolute-Revolute (PRR) manipulator mounted on an all-terrain autonomous vehicle, designed to navigate complex solar panel layouts and provide consistent cleaning across varying panel orientations.

Key Features:
- The robot's manipulator consists of a prismatic joint for vertical mobility and two revolute joints for horizontal and vertical rotation. The end-effector is equipped with multiple cleaning tools, including nozzles, brushes, and a squeegee, ensuring comprehensive cleaning regardless of panel orientation.
- The forward and inverse kinematics were derived, treating the manipulator as a 2-link planar robot for simplicity in calculations. The Jacobian matrix was also calculated to understand the velocities at the end-effector, ensuring smooth and efficient movement during the cleaning process.
- The autonomous vehicle was equipped with dynamic path planning algorithms, allowing it to navigate predefined routes efficiently while avoiding obstacles. The path planning module optimizes the robot’s movement to minimize energy consumption, ensuring that only the minimum necessary distance is traveled.
- A Python-based simulation was developed to validate the robot’s movements and cleaning efficiency. The simulation tested various scenarios, ensuring the robot could adapt to different solar panel angles and lengths while maintaining stability and effectiveness.
- The project identified potential challenges, including weather-related limitations and the absence of vision-based feedback. Future work involves enhancing the robot’s stability in harsh conditions, using environmentally friendly cleaning agents, and integrating camera algorithms for more complex path planning and real-time cleaning verification.