Saudi-based NOMADD offers solution to ‘clean’ desert solar panels

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.

Tuesday 12 Jan 2016 - 13:13 Makkah mean time-2-4-1437 Riyadh, (IINA) - A small startup called NOMADD Desert Solar Solutions in Saudi Arabia has developed a new way to ‘clean up’ the process of solar energy production, Tech Crunch reported. Saudi Arabia has been planning to implement solar panels due to the momentum solar energy is gaining in recent years despite the low prices of fossil fuels. However, one challenge that some countries face is the dust build-up forming on desert-based panels, which considerably decreases the amount of energy being produced. In some cases, up to 60 percent of energy yield can be lost during and after sandstorms. The NO-water Mechanical Automated Dusting Device (NOMADD) is a Saudi-based startup that has developed a smart and ecological desert solar panel cleaning system as a viable solution to this problem. The NOMADD is a long tube (3-5 meters) built in a sleek and simple design that brushes away the panel dust. It can handle large misalignments or settling in the arrays and does not rest any weight on the panels as it runs on rails. Georg Eitelhuber, Founder & CEO of NOMADD, explained that it’s a viable alternative to the existing solution, hiring janitors with water hoses. NOMADD is waterless and fully automatic, making the whole process much less expensive. “You basically push a button on your smartphone and your whole array is clean within half an hour”, he said. “The array is 99.5% as clean as if you were cleaning with water.” Eitelhuber is an Australian mechanical engineer who moved to Saudi Arabia in 2009, where he became a Physics high school teacher at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He simultaneously completed a Masters in Renewable Energy and began collaborating with Energy Oasis, a campus-based testing area for companies to try out their new technologies. AG/IINA