A scientific research team, from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Djilali Eliabes, Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria, was able to develop a self-cleaning technology for solar panels using an air-blowing machine, but with unprecedented great efficiency, and energy that does not exceed what a small LED lamp consumes ( LED).
The team consists of 4 researchers, namely: Ammar Telmatine, Yassin Balabneh, Yan Allah Khalifa, Qadous Nuzha.
They work in the Electrostatic Compatibility and Plasma Applications (APELEC) laboratory.
They recently filed a patent application at the level of the Algerian National Institute of Industrial Property, which also sponsored the filing of an international application at the level of the International Organization for Industrial Property.
Cleaning solar panels currently requires a lot of energy and effort (Shutterstock)
Eliminate the most important problem in the maintenance of solar panels
It is known that the solar panels - which are used to generate solar energy - face problems in their maintenance, especially the cleaning process, as contacting the surface with water or special cleaning materials reduces their efficiency, and the use of the "wind blowing" technology currently in force requires large generators and needs Great energy, unlike the new invention, which does not require much energy or pressure generator.
"This invention is very important in the field of cleaning solar panels because it is effective in terms of maintenance and economical in terms of energy and does not require a large blowing device ... and we expect that this invention will be resonance on a global level in the future.
For his part, Balabneh (the research associate professor of this invention) said in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net over the phone, "Solar panels require constant care to clean them, especially in desert areas, and the existing technologies depend on water, which is a valuable resource and its use is not without disadvantages, and also on blowing wind using equipment." It requires a lot of energy compared to the machine we invented."
Mr. Balabneh explained, "We invented this technology by chance, as we were working on making an air blowing machine to be used in another field, but after making it, we found that using it in the field of cleaning solar panels would be better and more efficient. Currently, this machine operates with an electric cable, but we will work in the future to provide it." with a battery so that the device is independent.
Connecting the university with the world of economy and institutions
The link that connects the university with the world of economy and institutions is still missing in many universities and scientific research laboratories in Algeria. It seems that the University of Bel Abbes has taken some commendable steps in this field, as it has previously marketed some research products, and is preparing today to market its new invention in cleaning solar panels.
"We have about 20 patents in many fields, the most important of which is a machine for sorting plastic and iron waste using electricity, as we were able to market it in cooperation with a local institution here in the state of Sidi Bel Abbes," Telmatine told Al Jazeera Net.
Balbneh went back to saying that there is a great lack of linking universities and research centers with the world of industrial and economic institutions, which must be worked on in order to link the two worlds together to support scientific research and the development of industrial and economic institutions.
He explained that the loss of the link linking universities with the economic world made the researchers' products and their great efforts meaningless, considering that this is a waste of human and material energies.