Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jodhpur have developed a coating technology for self-cleaning of solar panel surfaces. According to officials, these coatings are transparent, scalable, durable and superhydrophobic. It reduces dust accumulation on solar panels and is capable of self-cleaning with very little water, and is also suitable for easy integration with solar panel manufacturing plants. The institute has also applied for a patent for the technology. ”Industries manufacturing solar panels claim that it operates at 80 to 90 per cent of their efficiency for 20 to 25 years. However, it is well known that dust and sand deposits on solar panels reduce their performance. Depending on location of the solar power plant and the climate in which it is used, solar panels have been found to lose 10 to 40 per cent of their initial efficiency due to dust accumulation within a few months,” said Ravi K R, Head of Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, IIT Jodhpur.
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