UK-based researchers have secured funding to develop and test a scalable anti-soiling coating for solar modules that could reduce the frequency of cleaning cycles while improving power output.
Having received funding for a three-year study, a team at Loughborough University will aim to create an abrasion-resistant inorganic coating that can be applied at an industrial scale using a chemical process compatible with glass manufacturing.
Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the £1.2 million (US$1.6 million) project is in collaboration with University College London (UCL) and will receive input from aerial solar inspection company Above Surveying, glass manufacturer NSG Group and module cleaning firm Solar Farm Cleaning.
