Impact of Robotic Cleaning on the LCOE of Utility Scale PV Power Plants: A Global Assessment Based on Koppen-Geiger Climatic Zones

Abstract

According to International Energy Agency (IEA), soiling stands out as a key factor affecting the yield of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. It is projected to result in an annual loss of PV energy production ranging from 3-5%, leading to an economic impact of 3–5 billion euros due to increased operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. However, it is commonly misunderstood that robotic cleaning is only a viable measure in desert climates, that are mostly impacted by the accumulation of dust. On the other hand, several studies report soiling as a global issue. In this context, this work performs a global techno-economic modelling considering LCOE as the key impact factor to assess the financial benefits of robotic cleaning across various diverse climates around the world, classified as per the Koppen Geiger (KG) classification. First, 392 strategic locations are selected based on: a) 22 KG climatic zones, b) O&M cost and c) mean global horizontal irradiance (GHI), and the standard LCOE is calculated for a benchmark 100 <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$MW_{p}$</tex> utility-scale power plant using the LCOE model. Then, for each location with robotic cleaning as an additional O&M measure, the financial benefits pertinent to percentage LCOE, <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$kW_{P}$</tex>’ and $/100 <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$MW_{p}/Yr$</tex> improvement is determined. Several cases incorporating the regional capital cost variations associated with robot costs have been studied. The findings indicate that, in most instances, the improvement of LCOE through robotic cleaning is significant, provided that the additional Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) does not surpass $ 35/ kW p’ which is a realistic number considering the emerging solar robot market. Moreover, this improvement is consistent across climatic zones, even when factoring in the minimum global average annual soiling loss of 3%. To be specific, the global average benefit is in the range of 1.56 - 2.81 $ <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$kW_{p}$</tex> and 0.173 - 0.356 million US $/100 <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$MW_{p}/Yr$</tex> by virtue of robotic cleaning.