Competitive Advantages
- Self-cleaning coating reduces dust and grime accumulation on solar panels’ protective glass.
- Improves solar panel efficiency, especially in areas with high dust/grime deposition, such as deserts and polluted/industrial areas.
- Reduces total cost by shrinking operation and maintenance costs associated with cleaning solar panel covers, and replacement costs by lengthening the panels’ lifetime.
Summary
Global interest in renewable energy sources has exponentially increased as climate change continues to worsen. Solar energy and solar panels are currently one of the more popular alternative energy sources, offering a relatively easy way to transition from traditional to renewable energy. However, in areas with substantial amounts of dust and grime in the air (such as deserts, industrial areas, and polluted areas), solar panels aren’t as effective as they could be. To address this problem and the challenges that come with it, USF inventors have introduced a new self-cleaning coating that reduces dust buildup and improves the panels’ efficiency. This coating is made from a photocatalytic reaction of titanium oxide under UV light exposure, and makes solar panel protectors weather- and grime-resistant without compromising panel performance. This invention has other industry applications as well, including the automotive industry, building applications, and optical devices.
A flowchart summarizes the glass sample cleaning method process.
Desired Partnerships
- License
- Sponsored Research
- Co-Development