Hybrid Solar Farm Cleaning System
Budget: $3,000 – $5,000 USD
I’m designing a hybrid washing setup for a large-scale solar farm and I need an engineer or product developer who can turn the concept into a working system. The installation must combine the best of automated and manual operation: automated rails or robotic arms should handle the bulk of the cleaning cycle, yet the design must still allow quick manual intervention when unexpected debris or storms strike.
Key functional requirements:
• Remote-control capabilities – I want to initiate, pause, or adjust a cleaning run from a control room or mobile app, monitor progress in real time, and receive alerts on faults or water-usage anomalies.
• Integrated water-recycling loop – after each pass the grey water should be filtered, stored, and reused to minimise consumption and trucking costs. The goal is a closed-loop efficiency above 80 %.
The system will sit in an open-field solar farm, so durability against dust, UV, and 40-plus °C heat is critical. Expect rows up to 100 m long, varying tilt angles, and limited downtime windows between peak generation hours. I’m open to suggestions on drive mechanisms, nozzle configurations, or sensor suites, provided they support straightforward maintenance and expansion.
Deliverables I’m looking for:
1. Concept drawings and a detailed parts list.
2. Control architecture documentation (PLC, IoT, or microcontroller-based).
3. Water-recycling schematics with filtering specs and projected savings.
4. A step-by-step deployment plan, including testing and commissioning milestones.
If you have proven experience in solar O&M equipment, fluid handling, or robotics, and can guide me from design through to prototype, I’d like to hear how you’d tackle each requirement and an estimated timeline for the full package.
Key functional requirements:
• Remote-control capabilities – I want to initiate, pause, or adjust a cleaning run from a control room or mobile app, monitor progress in real time, and receive alerts on faults or water-usage anomalies.
• Integrated water-recycling loop – after each pass the grey water should be filtered, stored, and reused to minimise consumption and trucking costs. The goal is a closed-loop efficiency above 80 %.
The system will sit in an open-field solar farm, so durability against dust, UV, and 40-plus °C heat is critical. Expect rows up to 100 m long, varying tilt angles, and limited downtime windows between peak generation hours. I’m open to suggestions on drive mechanisms, nozzle configurations, or sensor suites, provided they support straightforward maintenance and expansion.
Deliverables I’m looking for:
1. Concept drawings and a detailed parts list.
2. Control architecture documentation (PLC, IoT, or microcontroller-based).
3. Water-recycling schematics with filtering specs and projected savings.
4. A step-by-step deployment plan, including testing and commissioning milestones.
If you have proven experience in solar O&M equipment, fluid handling, or robotics, and can guide me from design through to prototype, I’d like to hear how you’d tackle each requirement and an estimated timeline for the full package.