Using artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency of solar panels

A group of student researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, one of Qatar Foundation’s partner universities, is exploring a new way to clean solar panels to increase their work efficiency under the climatic conditions of the State of Qatar, by studying ways to take advantage of artificial intelligence technology to program aerial robots to inspect solar panels. and cleaned. The project is led by Eduardo Vio Flushing, visiting assistant professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, and the student team is mentored by Danup Somasekharan Pillai, a scientist at the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, one of the national research institutes of Hamad Bin Khalifa University. It is worth noting that the project won a research grant from the Qatar National Research Fund as part of the Research Experience Program for undergraduate students. Michael Trick, Dean of the University, emphasized the importance of the practical applications of this project on the ground, saying: "This important project gives students the opportunity to solve a real problem facing the solar energy sector in Qatar, which is keeping solar panels clean and removing dust and dirt from them. I am excited to see the contribution of our students in promoting the renewable energy sector in the country". Dr. Marc Vermeersch, Executive Director of QEERI, said: "We are delighted to welcome CMU-Q students to our outdoor testing facility, an occasion to reaffirm our commitment to a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing.". added: "Our scientists and researchers are proud to mentor the next generation of scientists, researchers, and innovators, and we are excited to provide CMU-Q students with the opportunity to learn from our experts and explore their own ideas.". The research team includes a student from Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Mohammed Mehdi Hassan, and five students from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar: Abrar Tasneem Abiz, Devang Acharya, Deep Chandra, Diram Taba and Nourasil Zekinov.