Chamelic solves solar dust problem

While large desert-based solar-energy installations provide abundant amounts of clean energy, they can also become coated in fine particles of sand, leading to a decrease in their efficiency. For that reason, they must be cleaned at regular monthly intervals - a labour-intensive process that can damage the surface of the solar panels.

Now, UK start-up Chamelic has developed a novel solution to the problem - a dust-resistant coating that can be applied to the surface of the photovoltaic panels and solar concentrator mirrors to actively repel dust for a considerable period of time. The technology is already being trialled in several photovoltaic plants in Spain and the Middle East, and the results, so far, look promising.

Leeds Innovation Centre-based Chamelic was established in 2006 to exploit the technology developed by the research group of Prof Simon Biggs at the Institute of Particle Science and Engineering at the University of Leeds. Under Biggs’ guidance, the Chamelic team has developed a methodology to tune the properties of polymers using controlled radical polymerisation so that they can then be used as surface treatments that provide many beneficial properties.