EDS film - a self-cleaning technology for concentrated solar power mirrors and photovoltaic panels.

What is it about?

The EDS film is a self-cleaning technology which is a scalable and viable solution to clean the surfaces of photovoltaic modules and concentrated solar power mirror surfaces. These optical surfaces are prone to dust build up on them, as they are located in semi-arid and desert regions that often face dust storms. The EDS film has transparent conductive electrodes that charge the dust that is on top of the film and removes the dust using electrostatic forces. An EDS film with reflective or transparent electrodes can be retrofitted on concentrated solar power mirrors and on photovoltaic (PV) panels to sustain and aid their unhindered reflection and absorption of incident sunlight, respectively.

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Why is it important?

Current available methods for cleaning the PV modules and CSP mirrors heavily depend on using copious amounts of deionized water, trained personnel to scrub or mechanical/robotic devices with brushes. All these methods demand huge capital investment and scarce resources. The power plant also has to be shut down in order for these methods to operate. EDS film technology does not require water to operate. No manual labor or robotic/moving parts are required for functioning and the power needed to operate EDS is almost negligible and can be derived from the harvesting device itself.