Design Exploration for Protection and Cleaning of Solar Panels with Case Studies for Space Missions

TL;DR

This paper explores protective and cleaning solutions for solar panels in space missions, comparing different mechanisms and materials through tests to enhance their durability and efficiency in harsh environments.

Contribution

It introduces and evaluates new cleaning mechanisms and protective materials specifically designed for space-based solar panels, with comparative analysis and case studies.

Findings

Wiper system is more efficient than rail system in cost and speed.

Polycarbonate shows promising protective qualities against space debris.

Layering soft material improves protection of solar panels.

Abstract

Solar energy is used for many mission-critical applications including space exploration, sensor systems to monitor wildfires, etc. Their operation can be limited or even terminated if solar panels are covered with dust or hit by space debris. To address this issue, we designed panel cleaning mechanisms and tested protective materials. For cleaning mechanisms, we designed and compared a wiper system and a rail system. For protective materials, we found through collision tests that polycarbonate was very promising, though the most important factor was layering a soft material between the panel's surface and a hard material. In the cleaning system comparisons, the wiper-based system was more efficient than the rail-based system in terms of cost, cleaning speed, and total power consumption.