Anti-soiling Coatings for Solar Panels

ABSTRACT

Can you help Enel Green Power by providing a solution, technology, or method that provides effective anti-soiling coatings? Enel Green Power (EGP), a global leader in the development and management of renewable energy generation, is searching for proposals that can provide easy-to-apply, durable, and transparent anti-soiling coatings for solar panels.

This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver is invited to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by Enel Green Power with the goal of establishing a collaborative partnership.

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OVERVIEW

In solar energy power plants across the world, soiling on the photovoltaic (PV) panels can impact whether energy is produced and the level of energy delivered by the plant. However, existing coating technologies have to be usually applied during panel manufacturing, need to be reapplied frequently, and costs are often higher than the benefits coming from additional energy production.

Can you help Enel Green Power by providing a solution, technology, or method that provides effective anti-soiling coatings?

SCENARIO

Anti-soiling treatments for photovoltaic (PV) modules (also known as solar panels) are a solution to the loss of energy production due to the effect of soiling. Soiling on the surface of PV modules, usually caused by dust, grime, and other pollutants, reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the panel, reducing the ability of the panel to function or the amount of energy able to be produced. The compounding effects of PV module soiling in utility scale energy production power plants can have a huge impact on productivity.

In current production plants, there are several issues associated with anti-soiling coatings: application frequency and location, expense compared to direct energy production, and impacts on transparency introducing a new source of potential production loss.

Currently, technologies available on the market allow the application of different kinds of anti-soiling coatings. However, in order to obtain a proper density of coating on the glass surface and an easy deposition process, it is necessary to apply the coating on the glass during the PV module manufacturing process. This poses a significant problem: it is difficult to find proper product application into operating power plants, where PV module work is protected by the producer-manufacturer of the product warranty.

The current products have to be applied again frequently (on a yearly basis for some coatings and at most once every 5 years for others) and no information is available in proven external advisory control and reporting concerning the coating’s effects over time, including the loss of effectiveness and the transparency of the glass to solar irradiation in the PV module spectrum of light useful for energy production.

Costs for existing coatings are frequently higher than the benefits coming from energy harvesting or, in heavy soiling environments, from avoiding periodical mechanical cleaning (performed manually with hydraulic lances, brushes, or with tractors and water). Additional costs that could be avoided concern recent market sectors’ advancements in robotic cleaning, where the initial high investment is compensated by the avoided losses from reduced soiling, over time.

In many cases, anti-soiling functionality is frequently proposed together with anti-reflective coating (ARC). ARC is now usually embedded during the manufacturing of the protective glass needed for PV modules, so ARC functionality is not necessary for the purpose of this Challenge.

THE CHALLENGE

In this Challenge, Enel Green Power is searching for proposals that provide anti-soiling coatings that can be applied in operational PV production plants to reduce soiling on solar panels used in power plants.

To measure the anti-soiling performance of coatings, the particles whose deposition should be avoided, or highly reduced, should include small soil particles, bird droppings, and other particles brought by wind or rain (e.g. desert sand). In harsh environments and weather, it would be of benefit if the coating acted against snow or ice deposition and coverage: when covered by snow, the actual energy production of these panels is zero. The main performance indicator and profit comparison of coatings and their effectiveness will be in additional energy produced by the plant, however reduction in the need for maintenance, reapplication, and cleaning costs will also improve the solutions’ cost effectiveness.

Proper anti-soiling coatings could avoid soiling losses associated with the deposition of powders on modules, yearly manual or machine-washing services (with raising one-shot costs and unpredictable lasting benefits), and investments needed for robotic cleaning.

Your coating solution will have to be applied in operating PV power plants by trained operators instructed by the product manufacturer, rather than in the manufacture of the module itself as in the current system. The product application in operating power plants must be performed by the manufacturer itself (or its own subcontractors) to avoid mismatch in the deposition density on the surface, general incorrect deposition issues, and keep the product or solution within warranty.

Ideally, your solution should also completely remove the need to clean the modules (whether manual or robotic), if the residual soiling ratio should be maintained at low tolerable levels. The economical evaluation could be improved by additional circular economy benefits of your solutions (e.g. avoided use of water, machineries, oil as fuel for tractors, waste, etc.).
 

SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS 

In general, the solution needs to satisfy the following must-have requirements:

• Effectiveness: the anti-soiling coating must protect against dust, small soil particles, and ideally snow and ice.
• Safety: The anti-soiling product should not be hazardous for operators, either in its application or during normal operation of the panels.
• Durability: the duration of the anti-soiling effect must last at least 5 years, with warranty from the manufacturer, before reapplication.
• Ease of application and maintenance: the product must be easily applied.
• Transparency: light transparency indicators for the PV modules/solar panels must be kept at high levels, as to allow additional energy harvesting which will be the main profit indicator for the technology or coating.
• Cost-effective: the solution must be cost-effective, compared to the costs associated with alternative methods or current cleaning technologies. The use of improved coatings will also reduce labor cost currently needed for reapplication, maintenance, and cleaning.
• Sustainable: your solution should be secure for the environment and weather, avoid pollution of the area, and not result in negative impacts in general on the environment where the power plant is in operation.
  • Circular economy indicators are desirable (impact in local environment, reuse of materials in production or application, end of life easy-to-recycle and waste management etc.)

In addition, the Solver must provide:

• A detailed description of the proposed solution, including cost per unit for material supply and installation (e.g. for 10 MW PV plant size).
   

This Challenge contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.
   

This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver will need to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by Enel Green Power with the goal of establishing a collaboration agreement. In any case, Enel Green Power has no obligation to select a winning proposal.

For questions about the Challenge and your proposal you can contact EnelOpenInnovabilityChallenges@wazoku.com

Explain your proposal clearly in English, attach documents (max 5 files, 35MB total size, ZIP, JPG, PDF format) if needed.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (Central European Time) on September 11th, 2023. Late submissions will not be considered.

ABOUT THE SEEKER             

Enel is a multinational energy company and one of the world’s leading integrated electricity and gas operators. Enel works in more than 30 countries across five continents, generating energy with a total installed capacity of more than 89 GW, selling gas and distributing electricity across a network spanning approximately 2.2 million km. With almost 75 million end users around the world, Enel has the biggest customer base among our European competitors, and we are one of Europe’s leading energy companies by installed capacity.

The Enel Group is made up of approximately 66,000 people from around the world who are working together on the same goal. We are Open Power and our aim is to overcome some of the greatest challenges facing the world. This is to be achieved through a new approach which combines attention to sustainability with the best in innovation. Enel is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that meet society’s changing needs. Through its openinnovability.com crowdsourcing platform, the company connects people and ideas from across the world, encouraging anyone to propose sustainable innovation projects and solutions that help develop local communities.

Enel is also committed to helping to achieve 4 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• 7 - Access to affordable and clean energy
• 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
• 11- Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
• 13 - The fight against climate change

Enel Green Power is the Enel Group brand focused on developing and managing renewable energy generation systems, with a global presence in 26 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania (active projects in 21 Countries while projects in development in 5 countries). Enel Green Power is a global leader in the green energy sector, operating more than 1,200 plants with a managed capacity of 564 GW across a generation mix which includes wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower, and is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into renewable power plants. Enel Green Power is a strategic partner that enables communities, companies and end users to move towards sustainable living, driving the shift towards a decarbonized society and actively contributing to the development and wellbeing of the many geographical areas where it operates.

Enel Green Power applies the CSV (Creating Shared Value) Model, finding new business opportunities by solving social problems, combining competitiveness with the long-term sustainable value creation. Thanks to its research, technological innovation, internationally renowned operational excellence, and the hard work of its people, Enel Green Power looks to the future fully aware of its potential for growth, both in terms of additional capacity and operational performance.

Enel Green Power invests in new technologies to improve its flexibility and performance, such as the combination of technologies and sources in the same plant (hybridization), the integration between renewables with other sectors (agrivoltaics, green building, new materials etc.) and research to give plants’ components a new role once they reach the end-of-life stage. All these projects are conducted under the lens of Sustainability and Circular Economy.

With its international experience, Enel Green Power also develops custom projects to offer companies the best solutions when it comes to energy generated from renewable sources. Clean energy and sustainable projects, competitive costs and tailor-made solutions are the main benefits of the Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), tools that are capable of building strong, long-lasting partnerships with business and industrial clients. Enel Green Power is also one of the founding members of RES4Africa Foundation, the association founded in 2012 to promote renewable energies and the spread of know-how on the African continent.