Ecoppia, a robotics company providing photovoltaic solar panel cleaning, has signed an agreement with SB Energy to install two thousand robots across its five project sites at the Bhadla Solar Park (Phase III & IV) in Rajasthan.

The Bhadla project is in a water-deficient region and often faces massive dust storms. This increases the panel soiling that results in reduced energy output. Hence, the water-free cleaning technology of Ecoppia’s system will not only solve the water problem but also maintain the energy output.

“We are thrilled to be working with a technology-driven and forward-looking company like SB Energy. The unparalleled experience gained in India, especially in the Rajasthan desert over the last three years, will enable us to seamlessly comply with SB Energy’s high operational standards,” said Eran Meller, CEO of Ecoppia.

These robots work independent of human interference and can be remotely operated through a cloud-based control system. It is estimated that Ecoppia’s water-free technology can save over 2 billion liters of water in 25 years of a solar plant operation.

Abhijeet Sathe, COO of SB Energy said, “We are convinced that adopting breakthrough technologies is key to coping with the challenging market conditions and increasing operational efficiency”.

Ecoppia has recently completed large-scale deployments of its robots in partnership with ENGIE and Ostro Power in the Bhadla Solar Park.

Recently, SB Energy was one of the winners in the auction conducted by the National Thermal Corporation of India (NTPC) for 750 MW of solar projects in Ananthapuramu solar park.

Image credit: World Bank

Nitin is a staff reporter at Mercomindia.com and writes on renewable energy and related sectors. Prior to Mercom, Nitin has worked for CNN IBN, India News, Agricultural Spectrum and Bureaucracy Today. He received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Communication from Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University and Master’s degree in International Relations from Jindal School of International Affairs. More articles from Nitin Kabeer