Italian multinational renewable energy corporation Enel Green Power has developed a new robot that is designed to clean solar panels without water.

The robot, dubbed Sandstorm, was developed in conjunction with REIWA, a Sicilian startup.

Source: Enel Green Power

The cleaning bot is reportedly ideal for dry, arid regions where water is scarce and dust accumulation is high.

Sandstorm reportedly moves along rows of solar panels autonomously, using its network of brushes to clean off the accumulation of dust, dirt and sand on the photovoltaic panels — otherwise known as soiling — which impacts both the performance and energy yield of the panels.

This autonomous cleaning is accomplished without using any water at all, the companies claim.

Further, the companies suggest that the new robot offers other benefits including robotic cleaning at night and during unproductive hours; no risk to human operators, low cost, and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions because the process doesn’t consume water or diesel.