KR102641435B1 - apparatus for cleaning photovoltaic module - Google Patents

Abstract

The posted information refers to the automatic cleaning of solar modules to automatically clean and remove foreign substances accumulated on the surface of solar panels of solar photovoltaic modules (BIPV; building integrated photovoltaic system) that are installed on the rooftop or exterior wall of a building and are always exposed. Regarding the cleaning device,
The automatic cleaning device for solar modules according to an embodiment of the present specification is
It is applied to a cleaning device that cleans and removes foreign substances accumulated on the surface of solar panels of solar modules installed on the rooftop or exterior wall of a building.
A solar module mounted on an insulating curtain wall installed at a random height on a frame fixed longitudinally to the roof floor and including a solar panel for accumulating electricity produced by concentrating solar energy;
A pair of rack gears symmetrically installed on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the solar module;
Drive motors that engage with the rack gears to reciprocate and rotate in the forward and reverse directions to rotate the pinion gear connected to the rotation shaft are installed on both sides, and when moving and rotating, they contact the surface of the solar panel to clean and clean it. a rotating body on which the tool is formed;
A cover that accommodates the rotating body, is fixed on both sides to the rotating shaft of the drive motor so as not to be separated, and is equipped with a washing water tank that accommodates washing water sprayed onto the surface of the solar panel through a washing water spray nozzle by driving a pump;
A control unit that applies a control signal to the drive motor to rotate the rotor and applies a control signal to a first opening/closing valve installed to open and close the washing water supply pipe between the washing water tank and the washing water spray nozzle. An automatic cleaning device for solar modules is provided.

Description

Automatic cleaning device for solar modules {apparatus for cleaning photovoltaic module}

This specification relates to a cleaning device for solar modules. To be more specific, foreign matter (filth) accumulated on the surface of the solar panel of a solar photovoltaic module (BIPV; building integrated photovoltaic module) installed and exposed on the rooftop or exterior wall of a building. ) relates to an automatic cleaning device for photovoltaic modules for automatically washing and removing .

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the material described in this section is not prior art to the claims of this application, and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

Generally, in the case of silicon solar panels used as solar modules, when the temperature of the solar module increases, the output decreases by 0.4% to 0.5% per 1℃. In particular, in the summer, as the temperature of solar modules rises to over 70℃, there is a problem in that output decreases by 15-20%.

According to these characteristics, solar power output peaks in spring and fall, not summer, when the sun is longest.

This temperature rise is pointed out as the main cause of lowering the power generation efficiency of solar power generation.

In addition, solar modules have the disadvantage that dirt (foreign substances) can easily accumulate on the surface of solar panels due to meteorological phenomena such as yellow dust, bird excrement, pollen, and bad weather due to the nature of solar modules being installed outdoors and constantly exposed.

If dirt accumulates on the surface of the solar panel of a solar module, the light-gathering absorption rate of the solar panel significantly decreases, which may also reduce power generation efficiency.

Additionally, in order to prevent a decrease in power generation efficiency due to rain or snow during the winter, it is necessary to periodically clean the solar panel of the solar module.

Although not shown in the drawing, when solar panels of solar modules are cleaned manually by spraying washing water through a spray nozzle, a lot of work time and labor costs are required for the cleaning work, and a large amount of washing water is consumed more than necessary. If the solar panel is not cleaned in a timely manner, the solar panel may be damaged or the surface may become contaminated.

Because of this, there is an urgent need for the development of a cleaning device that can clean or clean the solar panel of a solar module in the shortest possible time and with the minimum amount of manpower.

BIPV is a PV system integrated into buildings. It refers to a solar power generation system that not only produces electricity from solar energy and supplies it to consumers, but also uses building-integrated solar power modules as building exterior materials.

Recently, technology has been developed to maximize solar light collection efficiency by solar cells by installing BIPV systems on the exterior walls of buildings, single windows, or curtain walls.

A solar power array management device that moves back and forth on orbit is registered in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1038243.

The embodiment of the present specification automatically removes foreign substances (yellow dust, fallen leaves, bird droppings, stains from snow or rain, etc.) accumulated on the surface of the solar panel of a solar photovoltaic module (BIPV) that is installed on the rooftop or exterior wall of a building and is always exposed. It is related to an automatic cleaning device for solar modules that improves the power generation efficiency of solar panels by cleaning and cleaning them.

Embodiments of the present specification include an automatic cleaning device for solar modules that allows efficient maintenance of solar panels by periodically washing and cleaning the surface of solar panels of solar modules installed on the rooftop or exterior wall of a building; It is related.

An embodiment of the present specification is an automatic cleaning of a solar module, which allows the solar panel to be automatically cleaned or cleaned in a timely manner when it is determined by the naked eye or a sensor that the surface of the solar panel is contaminated and the light transmittance is reduced. It is related to the device.

According to an embodiment of the present specification to achieve the above and other purposes of the present specification,

It is applied to a cleaning device that cleans and removes foreign substances accumulated on the surface of solar panels of solar modules installed on the rooftop or exterior wall of a building.

A solar module mounted on an insulating curtain wall installed at a random height on a frame fixed longitudinally to the roof floor and including a solar panel for accumulating electricity produced by concentrating solar energy;

A pair of rack gears symmetrically installed on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the solar module;

Drive motors that engage with the rack gears to reciprocate and rotate in the forward and reverse directions to rotate the pinion gear connected to the rotation shaft are installed on both sides, and when moving and rotating, they contact the surface of the solar panel to clean and clean it. a rotating body on which the tool is formed;

A cover that accommodates the rotating body, is fixed on both sides to the rotating shaft of the drive motor so as not to be separated, and is equipped with a washing water tank that accommodates washing water sprayed onto the surface of the solar panel through a washing water spray nozzle by driving a pump;

A control unit that applies a control signal to the drive motor to rotate the rotor and applies a control signal to a first opening/closing valve installed to open and close the washing water supply pipe between the washing water tank and the washing water spray nozzle. An automatic cleaning device for solar modules is provided.

A building-integrated photovoltaic module including an insulation function according to an embodiment of the present specification having the above-described configuration has the following advantages.

By automatically washing and cleansing foreign substances accumulated on the surface of solar panels of solar photovoltaic modules (BIPV) installed and exposed on the rooftop or exterior wall of a building, it prevents performance degradation due to lowering of the solar module's light-gathering efficiency and overheating. The power generation efficiency of solar panels can be significantly improved.

In addition, the surface of the solar panel of the solar module installed on the rooftop or exterior wall of the building is automatically cleaned and cleaned periodically to extend the service life of the solar panel, and to prevent safety accidents that occur when workers directly wash and clean the solar panel. can be prevented.

In addition, when the surface of the solar panel is contaminated and light transmittance is determined to be reduced by the naked eye or a sensor, the service life of the solar panel can be extended by automatically washing or cleansing the solar panel in a timely manner.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a solar module installed on the rooftop of a building according to a preferred embodiment of the present specification;
FIG. 2 is a diagram of a moving means for moving a rotating body for cleaning solar panels in the automatic cleaning device for solar modules shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view showing that the automatic cleaning device for solar modules shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a curtain wall to block heat transfer to the rooftop of a building by condensing light from solar panels;
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the rotating body for cleaning solar panels in the automatic cleaning device for solar modules shown in Figure 1;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the automatic cleaning device for the solar module shown in FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, an automatic cleaning device for solar modules according to a preferred embodiment of the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 5, the automatic cleaning device for solar modules according to an embodiment of the present specification is

It is applied to a cleaning device that cleans and removes foreign substances accumulated on the surface of solar panels of solar modules installed on the rooftop or exterior wall of a building.

It is mounted on an insulating curtain wall (9) installed at a random height on a frame (8) fixed longitudinally to the roof floor, and includes a solar panel (15) and a storage battery ( A solar module 10 including (not shown) (as an example, BIPV);

A pair of rack gears 11 and 12 installed symmetrically on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the solar module 10;

Drive motors 14, which engage the rack gears 11 and 12 and rotate in the forward and reverse directions to rotate in a straight line and rotate the pinion gear 13 connected to the rotation shaft 17a, are installed on both sides, and when moving and rotating, A cleaning tool 16 for cleaning and cleaning in contact with the surface of the solar panel 15 (for example, a microfiber brush, a flexible material such as natural leather to prevent damage to the surface of the solar panel 15, or a rubber wiper may be used, but is not limited thereto) a roller-shaped rotating body 17 formed on the surface;

The rotating body 17 is accommodated, and both sides are fixed to the rotating shaft 17a of the driving motor 14 so as not to be separated, and the surface of the solar panel 15 is exposed to the surface of the solar panel 15 through the washing water spray nozzle 18 by driving the pump 28. A cover (20) on which a washing water tank (19) containing the washing water sprayed is mounted;

A first opening/closing valve installed to apply a control signal to the drive motor 14 to rotate the rotating body 17 and to open and close the washing water supply pipe 21 between the washing water tank 19 and the washing water spray nozzle 18. It is characterized by having a control unit (23) that applies a control signal to (22).

According to a more preferred embodiment, it is mounted at a random position on the bottom of the cover 20 so as to face the surface of the solar panel 15, and detects the degree of surface contamination of the solar panel 15 and sends a detection signal to the control unit 23. ), a light transmittance detection sensor 24 that transmits to ) is characterized in that it moves and rotates.

Although not shown in the drawing, if the manager determines that the surface of the solar panel 15 is contaminated with the naked eye, the manager can directly input a control signal to the control unit 23 through an input switch (key input unit, etc.). .

It is mounted at random positions in the front and rear of the outer surface of the cover 20, and when the rotating body 17 moves, the washing water is sprayed by the washing water spray nozzle 18 to clean the surface of the solar panel 15 by the washing tool 16. After cleaning foreign substances, the first and second air injection nozzles 32 and an air compressor ( 33) connected to the air supply pipe 29 (as an example, if a heating wire is provided inside, the drying efficiency of drying the solar panel 15 can be increased by heating the air supplied to the air injection nozzle 32) It is characterized in that it is provided with second and third opening and closing valves (30, 31) that are installed to be able to open and close.

The above-mentioned first, second, and third opening and closing valves (22,30,31) are

It is characterized in that a solenoid valve (not shown) is used to open and close the washing water supply pipe 21 and the air supply pipe 29 by a plunger that is switched to the open state when a control signal is applied from the control unit 23.

It is mounted at a random position on the outer surface of the above-mentioned cover 20 and detects movement of the rotating body 17 moving along the solar panel 15 to arbitrarily set starting and ending points and transmits a detection signal to the control unit 23. Accordingly, it is characterized by having a limit switch (26) for changing the transport direction of the rotating body (17) by the driving motor (14).

In the drawing, reference numeral 34 is installed on one side of the washing water supply pipe 21 and filters foreign substances (for example, stone dust, iron powder, etc.) contained in the washing water discharged from the washing water tank 19 by driving the pump 28. After doing so, it is sprayed (sprayed) on the solar panel 15 through the washing water spray nozzle 18, preventing the washing water spray nozzle 18 from being clogged by foreign substances, and also preventing the surface of the solar panel 15 from being clogged with foreign substances. It is a filter unit that can prevent scratches from occurring, and 35 is each mounted on a groove (not shown) formed on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 17a, and when the rotating body 17 moves, the pinion gear 13 is connected to the rack gear 11, 12) It is a weight to prevent lifting.

Hereinafter, an automatic cleaning device for solar modules according to an embodiment of the present specification will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 6, foreign matter (for example, yellow dust, fallen leaves, various bird droppings, and pollen) accumulated on the surface of the solar panel 15 of the solar photovoltaic module (BIPV) 10 installed on the rooftop or exterior wall of the building. , stains caused by snow or rain, etc.) can be automatically cleaned and cleaned periodically.

To explain this in detail, it is mounted on the frame 8, which is fixed to the rooftop floor by fastening members 7 (for example, anchor bolts are used), and collects solar energy from the solar panel 15, so that the rooftop floor In order to block heat transfer to the solar module (10), an insulating curtain wall (9) with an arbitrary height (i.e., an air passage through which air can circulate is formed between the solar module (10) and the rooftop floor) is installed. ) of the solar panel 15 is seated and fixed using a fixing means to prevent it from being separated by external force (such as wind).

A pair of rack gears 11 and 12 are symmetrically installed on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the solar module 10 described above. When the rotating body 17 moves and rotates, the cleaning tool 16 is in contact with the surface of the solar panel 15 and sprays washing water to cool, clean, and clean the solar panel 15. The rotating body 17 is in the form of a roller. It is formed on the surface, and a drive motor (14) is installed at both ends of the rotating body (17) in the forward and reverse direction, and a pinion gear (13) that engages with the rack gears (11 and 12) and reciprocates in a straight line is connected to the rotating shaft of the driving motor (14). Connect to (17a).

At this time, the power that drives the drive motor 14 is generated by concentrating light from the solar panel 15, so that electricity stored in a storage battery (not shown) can be used.

A cover 20 is placed to protect the rotating body 17 from the outside, and a washing water tank accommodates the washing water sprayed onto the surface of the solar panel 15 through the washing water spray nozzle 18 by driving the pump 28. (19) (a water level sensor 19a is provided inside to detect the water level and transmit a detection signal to the control unit 23) is mounted on one side of the outer surface of the cover 20.

In addition, after the surface of the solar panel 15 is cleaned by spraying washing water and using the cleaning tool 16, an air spray nozzle 32 is installed so that residual washing water and stains on the surface of the solar panel 15 can be removed by discharging air pressure. ) A conventional air compressor (referring to an air compressor) (33) that supplies air pressure to the air pressure is mounted on the other side of the outer surface of the cover (20).

At this time, the washing water spray nozzle 18, which sprays washing water onto the solar panel 15 by driving the pump 28, is installed on the bottom of the cover 20 in the washing water supply pipe 21 connected to the washing water tank 19, When a control signal is applied from the control unit 23 to the first opening/closing valve 22 installed on one side of the washing water supply pipe 21 (as an example, a typical hose can be used), the internal plunger is switched, so that the washing water supply pipe 21 can be opened and closed.

Therefore, when the pinion gear 13 is rotated through the rotation shaft 17a by driving the drive motor 14 described above, the pinion gear 13 is rotated by the rack gears 11 and 12 meshed with the pinion gear 13, respectively. is moved in a straight line along the rack gears (11, 12).

Because of this, the rotating body 17 connected to the pinion gear 13 through the rotating shaft 17a can be moved and rotated along the solar panel 15.

When the rotating body 17 moves and rotates, dirt accumulated on the surface of the solar panel 15 can be removed using a cleaning tool 16 (for example, a brush is used) mounted on the outer surface.

At this time, washing water is first sprayed onto the solar panel 15 through the washing water spray nozzle 18 formed in the washing water supply pipe 21 connected to the washing water tank 19 mounted on the cover 20.

Although not shown in the drawing, the cleaning liquid (common detergent or chemical agent may be used) contained in a separate rinse liquid tank (not shown) connected to the washing water tank 19 is mixed with the washing water tank 19 to provide washing water. When sprayed on the solar panel 15 through the spray nozzle 18, it has an effective cleaning and cleaning effect.

As described above, when the rotating body 17 moves and rotates, washing water is sprayed through the washing water spray nozzle 18, and dirt accumulated on the surface of the solar panel 15 is washed and removed by the cleaning tool 16, The air pressure discharged from the air compressor 33 mounted on the upper surface of the cover 20 is sprayed on the surface of the solar panel 15 through the air spray nozzles 32 formed at the front and rear of the cover 20 to clean residual water or stains. can be removed.

At this time, the air injection nozzle 32 is installed at the rear of the cover 20 when the rotating body 17 is moved forward by rotating the drive motor 14 in the forward (clockwise) direction. Air pressure is discharged to the solar panel 15 through status will be maintained).

On the contrary, when the rotating body 17 is moved (returned) to the initial position by rotating in the reverse direction (counterclockwise) of the driving motor 14, it is moved (returned) to the initial position through the air injection nozzle 32 installed in front of the cover 20. Air pressure is discharged to the solar panel 15 (at this time, the air injection nozzle 32 installed behind the cover 20 is closed by a control signal applied to the third on/off valve 31 from the control unit 23). will be maintained).

As described above, when washing water is sprayed on the surface of the solar panel 15 through the washing water spray nozzle 18 and foreign substances are removed using the cleaning tool 16, the water sprayed on the surface of the solar panel 15 evaporates. It additionally has a cooling effect (in particular, deterioration of the solar module 10 due to high temperatures in the summer can be prevented).

Meanwhile, after cleaning the dirt on the surface of the solar panel 15 with the cleaning tool 16, a light transmittance detection sensor 24 is mounted opposite the surface of the solar panel 15 at a random position on the bottom surface of the cover 20. ) detects the degree of surface contamination of the solar panel 15 and transmits a detection signal to the control unit 23.

Therefore, when the control unit 23 determines that the light transmittance detection value is below the set value, the rotating body 17 is moved and rotated by the control signal applied from the control unit 23 to the driving motor 14 to form the solar panel ( 15) can be washed and cleaned.

At this time, the technical content of detecting the degree of contamination of the surface of the solar panel 15 by the above-described light transmittance detection sensor 24 and transmitting the detection signal to the control unit 23 is similar to that commonly used in the technical field to which this specification pertains. Since they are applied substantially the same way, detailed description of their configuration and functions will be omitted.

The above-mentioned solar module 10 may be a crystalline solar cell module, a thin film solar cell module, a plastic solar cell module, etc., and the electricity produced by the solar module 10 may be converted to a DC-DC converter, or DC-DC converter. The technical content of converting direct current or alternating current through an AC converter, storing it in a storage battery, and then supplying it to electrical devices inside a building is commonly used in the technical field to which this specification pertains, so a detailed description of their configuration and functions will be omitted. .

Here, although the above-described specification has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art may modify and modify the present specification in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the specification as set forth in the following claims. You will understand that you can change it.

8; frame
9; insulated curtain wall
10; Solar modules
11,12; rack gear
13; pinion gear
14; driving motor
15; solar panel
16; cleaning tools
17; rotating body
18; Washing water spray nozzle
19; wash water tank
20; cover
21; Wash water supply pipe
22; 1st opening/closing valve
23; control unit
24; Light transmittance detection sensor
26; limit switch
27; pressure plate
28; Pump
29; air supply pipe
30; 2nd opening/closing valve
31; Third opening/closing valve
32; Air injection nozzle
33; air compressor
34; filter part
35; weight

Claims (5)

It is applied to a cleaning device that cleans and removes foreign substances accumulated on the surface of solar panels of solar modules installed on the rooftop or exterior wall of a building.
A solar module mounted on an insulating curtain wall installed at a random height on a frame fixed longitudinally to the roof floor and including a solar panel for accumulating electricity produced by concentrating solar energy;
A pair of rack gears symmetrically installed on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the solar module;
Drive motors that engage with the rack gears to reciprocate and rotate in the forward and reverse directions to rotate the pinion gear connected to the rotation shaft are installed on both sides, and when moving and rotating, they contact the surface of the solar panel to clean and clean it. a rotating body on which the tool is formed;
A cover that accommodates the rotating body, is fixed on both sides to the rotating shaft of the drive motor so as not to be separated, and is equipped with a washing water tank that accommodates washing water sprayed onto the surface of the solar panel through a washing water spray nozzle by driving a pump;
a control unit that applies a control signal to the drive motor to rotate the rotating body and applies a control signal to a first opening/closing valve installed to open and close the washing water supply pipe between the washing water tank and the washing water spray nozzle;
It is mounted at a random position on the bottom of the cover so as to face the surface of the solar panel, and transmits the light transmittance detection value to the control unit so that the degree of surface contamination of the solar panel can be detected through the light transmittance detection value. An optical transmittance detection sensor that allows the rotating body to move and rotate by a control signal applied to the driving motor from the control unit when the transmittance detection value is determined to be below the set value; and
It is mounted at a random position on the outer surface of the cover and detects movement of the rotating body moving along the solar panel to arbitrarily set starting and ending points and transmits a detection signal to the control unit, thereby causing the rotating body to be driven by the drive motor. An automatic cleaning device for solar modules that includes a limit switch to change the transfer direction. delete According to paragraph 1,
an air compressor mounted on the cover; first and second air spray nozzles mounted at arbitrary positions on the front and rear surfaces of the cover and spraying air pressure onto the solar panel to remove residual washing water and stains; It further includes second and third opening and closing valves installed in an openable and closed manner in the air supply pipe between the air compressor and the first and second air injection nozzles,
When the rotating body moves forward due to rotation of the drive motor in the forward direction, air pressure is discharged to the surface of the solar panel through an air injection nozzle mounted on the rear of the cover,
The solar module is characterized in that when the rotating body moves to the initial position by rotating the drive motor in the reverse direction, air pressure is discharged to the surface of the solar panel through an air injection nozzle mounted in front of the cover. Automatic cleaning device. According to paragraph 3,
The first, second, and third opening and closing valves are
An automatic cleaning device for solar modules, characterized in that a solenoid valve is used to open and close the washing water supply pipe and the air supply pipe, respectively, by a plunger that is switched to an open state when a control signal is applied from the control unit. delete

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