Innovation is taking solar panel maintenance to the next level.
A joint research team from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST) and Samsung Electronics has created a self-powered technology that removes dust from solar panels using only wind.
Professor Juhyuck Lee led the team from DGIST’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering, and Dr. Wanchul Seung from Global Technology Research at Samsung Electronics.
The core of this breakthrough is a wind-powered rotational triboelectric nanogenerator. This device captures energy from wind and supplies it to an electrodynamic screen (EDS) that sweeps dust off solar panels.
This design works independently, unlike conventional systems that need an external power source.
The dust buildup on solar panels is a serious issue that cuts power output and raises cleaning costs. While traditional EDS technology can remove dust using electric fields, it often needs a high-voltage power supply.
This makes it impractical in remote or hard-to-reach locations such as deserts, mountains, or space stations.
“The key takeaway in this study is that three-phase high voltage generated by wind power is used to move dust in the desired direction, and it does not require external power,” said Professor Lee.
In 2024, researchers at DGIST proposed a single-phase wind-powered EDS system. While it offered a step forward in autonomous cleaning, the design had flaws. It worked by shifting dust side to side using electric fields and relied on gravity to pull the dust down.
As a result, it was not very efficient. Its performance was heavily affected by the angle at which a solar panel was installed.
To address these challenges, the team created a new three-phase EDS system. It includes a specially built three-phase rotational triboelectric nanogenerator and uniquely patterned EDS electrodes.
The updated design moves dust in a single direction, offering better control and higher efficiency. Importantly, the performance remains consistent regardless of the tilted solar panel.
Tests showed that the wind-powered generator could deliver a voltage as high as 1,383 volts. The system achieved a dust removal efficiency of 83.48%. This is about 1.6 times more effective than the earlier single-phase model.
“This technology will reduce the maintenance costs of solar panels and can be applied efficiently across a wide range of environments,” stated Lee.
The real-world implications of this technology are significant. One of the major concerns with solar energy is keeping the panels clean in places where manual labor or water-based cleaning is not practical.
In desert regions or outer space, sending people or machines for panel cleaning can be costly and complicated. The new system takes wind, a freely available resource in many regions, into a cleaning solution.
In addition to dust removal, the wind-powered EDS system improves solar panel performance. The study found that using only wind power, the system could restore solar panels to about 96% of their original power conversion efficiency. That means more energy output without the need for expensive upkeep.
The combination of smart design and self-sufficiency gives this technology an edge. It offers a practical way to extend the life of solar installations and improve their reliability in harsh environments. The system is especially useful for off-grid locations with no external power source.
