Abstract: Many factors effect on the efficiency of the photovoltaics panels such as soiling, environment, the design of the panel and even if the whole system includes a tracking mechanism. Taking into consideration the previous factors will allow the panel to give the maximum possible power. The accumulated dust and dirt over the photovoltaics panels will stick over it and will act like a shield preventing the rays from the sun to hit the surface of the panels. The studies shows that the panels will decrease more than 30% because of the dust accumulation. That is why the panels must be cleaned regularly. This paper provides a review of the dust problem as well as recent developments in automated solar photovoltaic module cleaning systems, including a short overview of techniques such as electrical, mechanical, chemical, and electrostatic cleaning. The study's main goal is to conduct a literature review on solar photovoltaic module automated cleaning techniques in order to identify research gaps in automated cleaning systems.

Keywords: Solar panel cleaning, dust accumulation, cleaning techniques, Photovoltaic performance

| DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2022.9103