Throughout the entire photovoltaic industry chain, although cleaning robots are positioned at the downstream end and entered the market relatively late, their importance cannot be overlooked.

According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), global cumulative photovoltaic installed capacity reached an astonishing 626 GW by the end of 2019. Mainstream institutions generally estimated that global newly installed photovoltaic capacity in 2020 would exceed 100 GW. From this perspective, it can be reasonably expected that by the end of 2020, global cumulative photovoltaic installations would likely surpass 700 GW, with China’s cumulative capacity approaching 250 GW—accounting for nearly one-third of the world’s grid-connected total. In the future, ensuring efficient and stable operation of photovoltaic systems will require increasingly refined and professional operation and maintenance management. According to Hu Yuran, General Manager of Hefei Renjie Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., dust accumulation has a significant impact on power generation losses, especially in regions with heavy pollution or severe dust conditions. Moreover, if this issue is not properly addressed, uneven dust distribution may lead to the formation of hot spots, posing even greater safety risks to power stations. She shared an example she personally encountered: a project originally designed to achieve around 1,000 effective power generation hours per year, but after several years of operation, it only reached 300 to 400 hours annually. “After investigation, we found that the power station was located on the rooftop of a heavily polluted industrial plant. The dust on the modules had almost solidified into thick layers. The cleaning intensity and frequency that were sufficient in other regions were simply not enough for this site.” Hu Yuran noted that such situations are not uncommon among existing power stations across China.

According to the reporter’s investigation, there are currently three main methods for cleaning photovoltaic modules on the market: manual cleaning, high-pressure cleaning vehicles, and robotic cleaning. As Hu Yuran explained, manual cleaning not only increases shading during the cleaning process—reducing sunlight absorption efficiency—but may also cause deformation or damage to photovoltaic modules due to improper operation. High-pressure cleaning vehicles store water in tanks, use booster pumps to pressurize intake and discharge, and then spray low-pressure, high-speed water jets through nozzles for cleaning. While this method reduces the number of workers required compared to fully manual cleaning, it places high demands on site location, layout, and water supply, making it suitable only for certain qualified power stations. Robotic cleaning, on the other hand, can effectively remove dust and debris from module surfaces while adapting to weather conditions to perform rapid and comprehensive cleaning. Robots can also operate continuously to reduce operational costs. According to data provided by Hu Yuran, using Renjie Intelligent’s PR100 cleaning robots delivers a comprehensive return on investment 1.5 to 4 times higher than manual cleaning under the same cost conditions, bringing more substantial economic benefits to plant owners. Currently, the installation rate of cleaning robots is less than 1%. However, based on extensive customer visits and on-site power station research conducted by Hu Yuran across the country, at least 20% of power stations could achieve economic benefits from installing cleaning equipment. Despite this potential, actual robot adoption remains low. The reasons are multifaceted, but the core issue lies in the poor quality and high failure rates of many existing cleaning devices, which fail to meet expected economic returns.

It is understood that Renjie Intelligent’s equipment has undergone more than four years of dedicated research, along with rigorous environmental, lifespan, and reliability testing, as well as extensive real-world power station validation. The products feature high reliability, strong obstacle-crossing capability, and intelligent operation. Once launched, they quickly gained the favor of multiple power station owners. Looking ahead, Hu Yuran is highly confident that owners who have experienced the benefits will widely adopt cleaning equipment. Especially in the design phase of new power stations, integrating cleaning systems from the outset would increase initial investment by only about 3%, while boosting power generation revenue by 5% to 20%. “With such significant advantages, it is something every investor would seriously consider,” she concluded.