JP2016078013A - Solar panel cleaning work machine, and solar panel cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solar panel cleaning work machine and a cleaning method, having preferable efficiency of cleaning work, high cleaning effect, and in which no scale occurs after cleaning.SOLUTION: A solar panel cleaning work machine comprises: a cleaning device 10 having a rotary brush; a water feeding device 20 for feeding cleaning water to the cleaning device 10; a blower body 30 for supplying compressed air to the cleaning device 10; and a power generator 40 for supplying power to the water feeding device 20 and the blower body 30 on a self-travel body 50. The cleaning water and compressed air are jetted to solar panels P, for cleaning the solar panels P with the rotary brush, cleaning water and compressed air.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a solar panel cleaning work machine and a solar panel cleaning method.

  Since the nuclear accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred in March 2011, interest in renewable energy has continued to increase, and profitability is secured by the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff System (FIT) introduced by the government in July 2012 As a result, construction of solar power generation facilities in Japan accelerated at a stretch. Above all, so-called mega solar with an output of 1 megawatt (1000 kilowatts) or more has been expanded by major companies due to its profitability, and approximately 8,800 facilities have been certified nationwide, of which approximately 1,300 are operating. (As of the end of April 2014, according to METI).

Since solar panels adhere to dust and bird droppings after use, they need to be cleaned at regular intervals.
Conventionally, the solar panel was washed by flushing dirt with water flowing from the tip of the brush and simultaneously brushing up and down the panel. Or, a portable high-pressure washer sprayed water on the panel surface at a high pressure to blow away dirt.

However, the conventional technique described above has the following drawbacks.
<1> The work efficiency is low.
In the conventional cleaning method, the panels are cleaned one by one by the manual operation of workers. For this reason, work efficiency is low, and in particular, cleaning large-scale facilities such as mega solar has required a lot of time and high labor costs.
<2> The cleaning effect is low.
The conventional cleaning method only washed away dirt with tap water and a brush, so a large amount of water was required and the cleaning effect was low. In addition, since the moisture on the panel was naturally dried after washing, the dust easily reattached before drying.
<3> Scale is likely to occur.
In the conventional cleaning method, tap water is used as cleaning water. Since tap water contains inorganic salts such as calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, and silica, and iron components, scales are generated on the surface of the panel after evaporation, causing power generation efficiency to deteriorate and become hot spots. There was also a risk of firing the panel.

An object of the present invention is to provide a solar panel cleaning work machine and a cleaning method having at least one of the following effects.
<1> The work efficiency of the cleaning work is high.
<2> The cleaning effect of the cleaning operation is high.
<3> No scale is generated.

  In order to solve the above problems, a solar panel cleaning work machine according to the present invention includes a cleaning device including a rotating brush, a water supply device that supplies cleaning water to the cleaning device, and compressed air to the cleaning device. A blower body, a water supply device, and a generator that supplies power to the blower body are mounted on the self-propelled body. The cleaning device sprays cleaning water and compressed air onto the solar panel, The solar panel is washed with washing water and compressed air.

  The solar panel cleaning work machine of the present invention is characterized in that the cleaning water is pure water.

  The solar panel cleaning method of the present invention uses a solar panel cleaning work machine, the cleaning device includes a water discharge unit, a cleaning unit, and a blower unit, and the cleaning water from the water discharge unit is provided on the surface of the solar panel. A step of wiping off the dirt on the surface of the solar panel with a rotating brush, the step of wiping the dirt on the surface of the solar panel and the dirt on the rotating brush with a rotating brush. A step of rinsing with water, and a step of blowing away the cleaning water remaining on the surface of the solar panel with compressed air jetted from the blower unit, while moving the self-propelled body along the array of solar panels. Each step is performed in the order of description.

Since the solar panel cleaning work machine and the cleaning method of the present invention have the above-described configuration, they have at least one of the following effects.
<1> High work efficiency.
In the present invention, the solar panel can be cleaned in units of arrays by bringing the cleaning apparatus into contact with the solar panel and operating the cleaning apparatus while advancing the self-propelled body. For this reason, work efficiency is remarkably high, and especially large-scale facilities such as mega solar can be cleaned in a short time with a small number of people.
<2> High cleaning effect.
In the present invention, pure water is used for cleaning the solar panel, so that the dirt is not simply washed away, but the dirt can be actively dissolved and absorbed. Therefore, a high cleaning effect can be exhibited with a small amount of water. Moreover, since the water | moisture content after washing | cleaning is blown away with a blower simultaneously, the reattachment of the dust to a solar panel can be prevented.
<3> Scale is unlikely to occur.
Since this invention sprays compressed air on the surface of a solar panel after washing | cleaning, a water | moisture content does not remain easily. Moreover, since pure water is used, it is difficult for the residue to remain even if the remaining water evaporates. For this reason, scale is unlikely to occur in the solar panel.

Explanatory drawing of the solar panel washing | cleaning work machine concerning this invention. The functional block diagram of the solar panel cleaning work machine concerning this invention. Explanatory drawing of the washing | cleaning apparatus concerning this invention.

  Hereinafter, a solar panel cleaning work machine and a cleaning method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Solar panel cleaning machine]
<1> Overall configuration (FIGS. 1 and 2).
The solar panel cleaning work machine 1 includes a cleaning device 10, a water supply device 20, a blower body 30, a generator 40, and a self-propelled body 50.
The cleaning device 10 is connected to the arm portion 51 of the self-propelled body 50 such as a backhoe, and the water supply device 20, the blower body 30, and the generator 40, which are respectively connected to the cleaning device 10, are loaded on the base of the self-propelled body 50. .

<2> Wash water.
In this example, pure water is used as the cleaning water. Pure water is high-purity water that does not contain or hardly contains impurities such as organic components, inorganic components, and fungi.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and water containing a medicine can be used as the washing water.

<3> Cleaning device (FIG. 3).
The cleaning device 10 is a device that cleans the solar panel P.
The cleaning device 10 includes a long rotating brush 11, a cover 12 covering the rotating brush 11, a water discharge unit 13, a cleaning unit 14, a blower unit 15 provided in parallel to the rotating brush 11, And an attachment portion 16 for connecting to the arm portion 51 of the running body 50.
As will be described later, the cleaning device 10 has a single cleaning direction determined by the mounting positions of the water discharge unit 13, the cleaning unit 14, and the blower unit 15.
Since the cleaning device 10 is a unit type via the mounting portion 16, it can be used by being connected to various self-propelled bodies 50.

<3.1> Rotating brush.
The rotating brush 11 is a member for wiping and cleaning the surface of the solar panel P.
In this example, the rotating brush 11 employs a long cylindrical brush in order to efficiently clean a wide area. Although it is desirable that the length of the rotating brush 11 corresponds to the array width of the solar panel P, the length is not limited thereto.
The rotating brush 11 can also have a structure that can be switched between forward rotation and reverse rotation.

<3.2> Water discharge unit.
The water discharge unit 13 is a member for spraying pure water on the surface of the solar panel P. The water discharge unit 13 is connected to a water supply device 20 described later with a water supply hose, and receives supply of pure water.
In this example, the water discharge unit 13 employs a unit in which a plurality of nozzle openings are arranged in a line on the side surface of the long main body. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other known units may be employed.
In this example, the water discharge unit 13 is attached to one side of the opening end of the cover 12 and on the side in the traveling direction of the cleaning device 10 in parallel with the rotary brush 11. The nozzle mouth is directed to the surface of the solar panel P.

<3.3> Cleaning unit.
The cleaning unit 14 is a member for injecting pure water onto the rotating brush 11 and the surface of the solar panel P to wash it away. The cleaning unit 14 is connected to a water supply device 20 to be described later with a water supply hose and receives the supply of pure water.
In this example, a unit in which a plurality of nozzle openings are arranged in two rows on the side surface of the long main body in the width direction is adopted as the cleaning unit 14. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other known units may be employed.
In this example, the cleaning unit 14 is attached in parallel to the rotating brush 11 on one side of the opening end of the cover 12 and on the opposite side of the water discharge unit 13, that is, on the rear side in the traveling direction of the cleaning device 10. One row of nozzle openings faces the surface of the solar panel P, and the other row faces the rotating brush 11.

<3.4> Blower unit.
The blower unit 15 is a member for blowing compressed air on the surface of the solar panel P to blow off pure water. The blower unit 15 is connected to a blower body 30 described later by a duct hose, and receives supply of compressed air.
In this example, a unit in which a slit-like nozzle port is provided on the side surface of the elongated main body is employed as the blower unit 15. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other known units may be employed.
In this example, the blower unit 15 is attached to the outside of the cleaning unit 14 in parallel with the cleaning unit 14. The nozzle mouth is inclined toward the surface of the solar panel P toward the rotating brush 11.

<4> Water supply device.
The water supply device 20 is connected to the cleaning device 10 with a water supply hose and supplies pure water to the water discharge unit 13 and the cleaning unit 14 of the cleaning device 10.
The water supply device 20 is connected to a water storage tank 23 for storing water before purification, and the water storage tank 23, and is connected to a water purifier 22 and a water purifier 22 for changing the water in the water storage tank 23 to pure water. And a pumping pump 21 for feeding water to the cleaning device 10.
In this example, an apparatus using an ion exchange resin is used for the deionizer 22, but other known apparatuses such as an EDI (electric regeneration) type, a reverse osmosis membrane type, and the like can also be used.
Although the water supply apparatus 20 is loaded on the stand of the self-propelled body 50, the installation location is not limited to this.

<5> Blower body.
The blower body 30 is a device that is connected to the cleaning device 10 by a duct hose and supplies compressed air to the blower unit 15 of the cleaning device 10.
The blower body 30 is installed on the arm portion 51 of the self-propelled body 50 so as not to suck up dust on the ground. However, the installation position is not limited to this, and may be installed on a stand of the self-propelled body 50, for example.

<6> Generator.
The generator 40 is a device that supplies power to the water supply device 20 and the blower body 30.
Although the generator 40 is loaded on the stand of the self-propelled body 50, the installation location is not limited to this.

<7> Self-propelled body.
The self-propelled body 50 is a vehicle body for driving the solar panel cleaning work machine 1.
The self-propelled body 50 includes a drive source and an arm portion 51 for operating the cleaning device 10.
In this example, a backhoe is employed for the self-propelled body 50. Since the cleaning device 10 of the present application is a unit type, the existing backhoe bucket portion is replaced with the cleaning device 10 and the water supply device 20 and the like are loaded, and the backhoe power source and the arm portion are used to generate sunlight. The cleaning machine 1 can be obtained.
The self-propelled body 50 is not limited to a backhoe, and a truck crane, a construction vehicle, or the like can also be employed.

[How to clean solar panels]
Next, the solar panel cleaning method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The solar panel cleaning method of the present application uses the solar panel cleaning work machine 1 to efficiently clean the solar cell array A in which a plurality of solar panels P are continuously laid in an array (row) unit. Can do.
In this example, the case where the self-propelled body 50 is cleaned while being advanced will be described. However, if the direction of the cleaning device 10 is directed backward, cleaning can be performed while moving backward.

<1> Localization of the cleaning device (FIG. 1).
The self-propelled body 50 is disposed at the end portion of the solar cell array A, and the self-propelled body 50 is directed in the cleaning direction (that is, the end portion direction opposite to the solar cell array A).
The position of the arm part 51 of the self-propelled body 50 is adjusted, and the cleaning device 10 attached to the tip of the arm part 51 is localized on the surface of the solar panel P as follows.
The cleaning surface of the cleaning device 10 (the opening side of the cover 12) is directed toward the solar panel P, and the rotating brush 11 is brought into contact with the surface of the solar panel P. The water discharge unit 13 side is directed in the traveling direction, and the width direction of the cleaning device 10 is aligned with the inclination direction of the solar cell array A.

<2> Cleaning work.
In the solar panel cleaning method of the present application, each unit of the cleaning device 10 performs the cleaning in cooperation. Therefore, the self-propelled body 50 is moved along the array of solar panels P while the cleaning device 10 is operating. Thus, the following steps can be processed simultaneously in parallel (FIG. 3).

<2.1> A step of spraying pure water.
Pure water is sprayed on the surface of the solar panel P from the nozzle opening of the water discharge unit 13.
As a result, the dirt having a relatively large particle diameter that has adhered to the surface of the solar panel P is washed away, and fine pure water is adhered to the entire surface of the solar panel P, thereby removing the fine dirt with pure water. Into.

<2.2> A step of wiping off dirt together with pure water.
The surface of the solar panel P wetted with pure water is wiped off with the rotating brush 11.
Thereby, pure water adsorbing fine dirt is wiped off from the surface of the solar panel P. Also, wipe off large stains that could not be washed away in the previous step.

<2.3> A step of washing away dirt together with pure water.
The dirt adhering to the rotating brush 11 is washed away in the first row of nozzle openings of the two rows of the cleaning unit 14, and the dirt remaining on the surface of the solar panel P is washed away in the second row. At this time, the nozzle openings in the second row are preferably inclined so as to face forward in the traveling direction so that pure water and dirt are not scattered on the solar panel P after cleaning.

<2.4> A step of blowing off pure water.
The blower unit 15 blows off a few water droplets remaining on the surface of the solar panel P. The nozzle port of the blower unit 15 blows compressed air forward in the traveling direction.
In the solar panel cleaning method of the present application, water drops remaining on the solar panel P after cleaning are surely blown off by the blower unit 15, so that no scale is generated in the solar panel P.

<3> Cleaning effect of pure water.
Since pure water does not contain impurities such as organic components, inorganic components, and fungi, it has a very high ability to dissolve substances. Therefore, pure water actively dissolves and absorbs dirt on the surface of the solar panel P.
In addition, since pure water is an insulator, static electricity is easily generated, and the surrounding dirt is attracted to pure water and captured by the static electricity. For this reason, the cleaning ability is very high as compared with normal tap water cleaning.
Furthermore, since pure water does not leave a residue even after evaporation, scale is unlikely to occur on the surface of the solar panel P after cleaning.

[Example of rotating the cleaning device]
The other Example which attached the washing | cleaning apparatus 10 to the arm part 51 of the self-propelled body 50 rotatably is described.
In this example, the attachment portion 16 of the cleaning device 10 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arm portion 51. Each known technique is adopted for the rotation mechanism.
In this example, if the direction of the cleaning device 10 is reversed via the mounting portion 16, the solar panel cleaning work machine 1 may be routed to change the direction, or the cleaning device 10 may not be reattached in the reverse direction. The washing direction can be changed back and forth.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Solar panel cleaning work machine 10 Cleaning apparatus 11 Rotating brush 12 Cover 13 Water discharge unit 14 Cleaning unit 15 Blower unit 16 Mounting part 20 Water supply apparatus 21 Pumping pump 22 Pure water device 23 Water storage tank 30 Blower main body 40 Generator 50 Self-propelled body 51 Arm A Solar array P Solar panel C Cleaning direction

Claims (3)

A solar panel cleaning machine,
A cleaning device including a rotating brush; a water supply device that supplies cleaning water to the cleaning device; a blower body that supplies compressed air to the cleaning device; and a generator that supplies power to the water supply device and the blower body. , Is mounted on the self-propelled body,
The cleaning device sprays the cleaning water and the compressed air onto a solar panel, and the solar panel is cleaned with the rotating brush, the cleaning water, and the compressed air.
Solar panel cleaning machine.   The solar panel cleaning work machine according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning water is pure water. A solar panel cleaning method using the solar panel cleaning work machine according to claim 1 or 2,
The cleaning device includes a water discharge unit, a cleaning unit, and a blower unit,
Spraying washing water from the water discharge unit on the surface of the solar panel;
Wiping dirt on the surface of the solar panel together with the washing water with the rotating brush;
Rinse the dirt on the surface of the solar panel and the dirt on the rotating brush with washing water sprayed from the washing unit;
Blowing away the cleaning water remaining on the surface of the solar panel with compressed air sprayed from the blower unit;
While moving the self-propelled body along the array of solar panels, the steps are performed in the order described,
Solar panel cleaning method.

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