Understand the soiling environment
Identify causes such as roads, farmland, industrial dust, coastal conditions, birds, and snow cover.
Solar & Sensing · APPLICATION GUIDE
Soiling & Cleaning
Review solar soiling sensors for contamination trends and cleaning decisions. Assess measurement principles, representative siting and rainfall or cleaning records alongside generation data.
Review selection pointsDiscuss this applicationFIELD APPLICATION & FLOW
See the application in its industrial setting.
Follow light, sensor measurements and data connections.
APPLICATION IN CONTEXT
- 1 Site soiling · 2 DustIQ installation example parallel to the modules at the same tilt and azimuth
- 3 Separate clean/soiled reference alternative · 4 Record review · 5 hyCLEANER robot cleaning and verification
- Site soiling distribution
- DustIQ · front-side optical soiling
- Separate alternative · clean/soiled comparison
- Review irradiance, rain and generation records
- Robot cleaning and verification
Connections to review
- 02 → 04 Measurement data
- 03 → 04 Alternative measurement
- 04 → 05 Review / workflow
2 and 3 are distinct measurement methods, not devices connected in series. An optical value is not automatically the whole plant’s electrical loss. Confirm positioning and installation against manufacturer guidance. Dashboard traces are illustrative, not actual measurement data. For robotic cleaning, verify actual slope, module loading, water supply, safety and supplied configuration.
A conceptual illustration created to explain equipment and application locations. It is not an actual product photograph, installation photograph or piping/wiring design.
Manufacturer product image and selection criteria ↗
Connection principles and operating/test methods
Optical measurement · Light changes from soiling
LightMeasurement / control
Scroll horizontally to see the complete flow.
Concept diagram of the general optical principle. Actual optical paths and conversion methods vary by product. This does not mean camera imaging or direct measurement of power output.
Reference-device comparison · Clean and soiled
LightMeasurement / control
Scroll horizontally to see the complete flow.
Match the orientation, temperature, and characteristics of the two reference devices and maintain the clean reference. Decide whether to clean by considering measured loss, expected generation, cost, and rainfall together.
These conceptual views explain flow direction. Actual piping, wiring and physical flow rates require a separate design.
01 — PROCESS
Where and what will be measured?
Define the intended use and conditions to identify the required role of each item.
Select the measurement method
Compare the maintenance requirements and measurement ranges of reference-device comparison and optical methods.
Assess cleaning effectiveness
Evaluate changes before and after cleaning in relation to irradiance, energy generation, rainfall, and work costs.
02 — SELECTION
What should be selected and verified?
Comparing clean and soiled reference devices and measuring soiling optically use different principles. Record how representative the installation is, local dust characteristics, and rainfall and cleaning history together, and examine their relationship to generation losses.
Scroll horizontally to review all columns.
| Measurement objective | Item to review | Selection evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Direct comparison | Clean and soiled reference devices | Cleaning of the reference device; matching alignment, temperature, and device characteristics |
| Optical measurement | Optical principles such as scattering | Glass and dust characteristics, site-specific correction, and installation plane |
| Plant representativeness | Review multiple locations | Spatial variation in soiling, edge locations, and wind direction |
| Cleaning economics | Compare losses and costs | Expected recoverable energy generation, cleaning costs, operating conditions, and rainfall |
Review sensor suitability against the objective, installation environment, calibration evidence, system configuration and supplier specifications.
03 — OPERATING CHECKS
Use measurement data to identify improvements.
Do not equate optical readings directly with generation losses
Estimated light transmission loss may differ from actual power loss caused by nonuniform soiling.
Maintain a clean reference
The cleaning condition of the comparison device and sensor correction establish the reference. Keep complete maintenance records.
Account for weather before and after cleaning
Consider irradiance, temperature, and operating conditions together, rather than comparing only the energy generated on different days.
04 — QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Does an optical soiling sensor count dust using a camera?
Types that use scattered light measure changes in light to estimate transmission losses caused by soiling. Distinguish them from image-analysis methods and confirm the measurement principle of each device.
At what soiling level (%) should we clean?
Compare energy value, recoverable generation, cleaning costs, forecast rainfall, and site constraints together, rather than applying a universal threshold.
Can one sensor determine cleaning timing for the whole plant?
First assess whether its location represents soiling across the site. Compare array layout, tilt, wind and soiling sources, module glass and rainfall or cleaning history when selecting positions. Review the relationship between estimated soiling and actual generation loss, together with cleaning cost, energy value and expected rainfall.
05 — APPLICATION REVIEW
Prepare the conditions for a technical discussion.
Share the current configuration and operating conditions to review selection criteria and required evidence. Suitability and supply scope are confirmed for each application.
- Site location, size and soiling sources; array layout and candidate sensor positions
- Fixed or tracking structure, tilt, module and glass conditions
- Objective: soiling trends, loss assessment or cleaning decisions; measurement principle
- Rainfall, cleaning and maintenance; existing generation, irradiance and weather data
- Power, logger, SCADA inputs and communication requirements; review timing
MANUFACTURER PRODUCTS
Explore product applications and their official sources.
Confirm model suitability and supply scope through a technical review. Use each card to make an enquiry or review official manufacturer information.
hyCLEANER
solarROBOT pro
A semi-automatic, remote-controlled PV cleaning robot. Review site slope, surface, water supply and safety conditions.
Enquire about this productOfficial manufacturer product information ↗
hyCLEANER
solarROBOT compact
A semi-automatic, remote-controlled PV cleaning robot. Review site slope, surface, water supply and safety conditions.
Enquire about this productOfficial manufacturer product information ↗KIPP & ZONEN
DustIQ
An optical sensor for monitoring front-side PV soiling transmission loss. Not intended for rear-side mounting.
Enquire about this productOfficial manufacturer product information ↗
KIPP & ZONEN
RDE300i
An in-situ PV module measurement system for I–V curves, performance and soiling assessment.
Enquire about this productOfficial manufacturer product information ↗
KIPP & ZONEN
MARS
A camera-based PV soiling sensor.
Enquire about this productOfficial manufacturer product information ↗Product photographs and manufacturer images use permitted official materials and source links. Original explanatory schematics are identified separately from actual product photographs.
TECHNICAL NOTES
Related technical reading
- Review condition-based PV cleaning intervals (Korean article) ↗
Explore how soiling losses and site conditions inform cleaning timing.