The regions in South Africa that have the best solar irradiation levels are not only dusty but also have extremely limited water resources. This leads to increased soiling of the solar panel which can significantly degrade solar panel performance. Wet cleaning of the panels is not environmentally sustainable and dry cleaning is often sub-optimal.
The anti-soiling, anti-abrasion and optical properties of the nano-technology coating patented by RADS Global BV results in:
- less dust collecting on the surface of the panel;
- 4 – 9% more power being generated by the panel;
- 50 – 70% fewer cleaning cycles; and
- 60 – 70% less water being used in the cleaning cycle.
This increase in power production and reduction in operating costs will have a significant impact of the financial performance of the investment in solar energy projects over the life of the technology.