US headquartered automobile and solar power company Tesla, Inc. has won a patent for its laser beam cleaning technology for glass surfaces of vehicles and solar PV systems, according to various media reports that refer to a US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) information released on September 7, 2021.
Titled 'Pulsed laser cleaning of debris accumulated on glass articles in vehicles and photovoltaic assemblies', the USPTO document says the technology is said to be helpful for solar panels which when covered with dirt can report a decrease in power conversion efficiency 'which may translate into lower power output for homes, offices, transport systems, or facilities that may depend on power from such solar panels'.
It describes the technology having debris detection circuitry to detect debris accumulated over the glass. Laser beam is then pulsated at a calibrated rate that limits penetration of the laser beam to a depth that is less than a thickness of the glass article, eventually removing the debris accumulated.
Currently, glass on solar PV modules is cleaned either using sophisticated chemical solutions, or through robotic brushes. According to Tesla's submission to the USPTO, "Although such automated solutions may clean glass articles, preparations for cleaning such glass articles may consume a significant time and the cleaning and drying period may add to overall unproductive time. Additionally, usage of chemical solutions may be unsuitable for glass articles installed in electronics devices (for example, cameras, dashboards, and the like) as such components may turn defective with application of such chemical solutions."
Touting its laser beam solution, Tesla says its cleaning apparatus provides a fast, robust, and chemical-free solution to clean different glass articles in vehicles and solar photovoltaic facilities.
Tesla says this technology can also be useful for architectural glass cleaning or cleaning of any other glass or glass-like surfaces for instance windows, glass panels used as building material, skylights, and the like.
The inventor of the technology is mentioned as Phiroze Dalal whose LinkedIn account says he is a senior staff scientific and industrial imaging specialist at Tesla. The patent was filed on May 10, 2019.