Ultra-thin coating makes for self-cleaning solar panels. Really!

How the ever present dirt and dust impacts the efficiency of solar panels is rarely mentioned and discussed in public! You wonder why? 

And how environmentally is the frequent cleaning of solar panels?

It sounds very good, almost magic, but ...? 

"... The key ingredient is titanium oxide, which in its normal state repels water, forming drops that easily roll off. When the titanium oxide is exposed to UV light, however, it changes state to become highly water-attracting, which keeps the surface wet with a thin layer of water.

In effect, this makes for a self-cleaning coating. Dust or dirt that accumulates during the day can’t stick to the surface because the thin layer of water keeps it off, then at night the water beads up into droplets that easily roll off, taking the dirt with it. As a bonus, when the titanium oxide is activated with UV light it destroys organic molecules, effectively sterilizing the surface. ..."

"Cleaning glass facades and solar installations is expensive and time-consuming. Dirt reduces the yield of solar modules. Reasons enough to research surfaces that minimize this effort. The Fraunhofer Institute ... has now succeeded ... in applying crystalline titanium oxide to ultra-thin glass using a roll-to-roll process, thus achieving hydrophobic surfaces that become superhydrophilic under UV light. ..."

Ultra-thin coating makes for self-cleaning solar panels Solar panels can’t operate efficiently if they’re caked in dirt, but cleaning them regularly can become a time-consuming process. Engineers in Germany have now developed an ultra-thin coating that can make solar panels and other surfaces self-cleaning.

Hydrophilic coatings from the roll – retrofitting facades and solar panels easily with ultra-thin glass