About

Globally we are in a transitional phase, energy wise. Energy demand is on the rise, because of the rise in global population, as well as the rapid urbanization in the developing countries. Besides that, energy must and already is, shifting towards renewable energy sources, due to the climate change, already observed all over the world. According to Bloomberg we need to add 1.37 GW daily in renewable energy from now to 2050 in order to achieve the zero-carbon goal. Greatest beneficiary from that shift will be utility scale solar power projects. Due to the increased competition in that field most of these utility scale solar power projects will be developed in arid areas near the equator. In these areas, we have the problem of soiling, which significantly reduces power production (up to 1% daily if not cleaned) and limited availability in water to perform the cleaning. In this double problem SOLBOTIX comes to the rescue with it’s robotic waterless cleaning systems, which allow for automatic every day cleaning, enabling 100% power production in every environment.

Solution & Product

In high soil areas, the dusty environment causes extreme soiling and cementation which can reduce power output by up to 10% or more within 10-15 days if they are not cleaned regularly (every 1-2 days). For a typical 100 MWp parc producing >200 GWh annually, the potential revenue loss could be >$500k mil or more annually, $10 mil or more over the entire useful life of the project. Traditional cleaning methods (labor or mechanically assisted) will not be applicable, as cleaning frequency will have to move from 3-4 times per year to 2-3 times per week or ideally on a daily basis, so the market will be forced to move to autonomous cleaning devices. Using autonomous cleaning robots in remote soil reach - water poor areas, Solar Power owner/operators can gain higher revenues, improved ROI and reduced operating costs and operating risks •tHigher income from power production, closer to 100% of peak capacity – up to $500k or more annual incremental revenue for a typical 100 MWp utility scale parc •tReduced capital and operating costs: no water infrastructure (as this is a water free operation), limited or no labor cost. •tReduced operating risks: no water, no large numbers of unskilled labor, no vegetation, no damages from corrosion or moist, no damages to anti-reflective coating from brooms or other misuse.

Innovation & Scalability

Solbotix www.solbotix.com is a new innovative way to keep your Solar PV panels free from dust, while eliminating the dependencies on water and unskilled labor. Particularly useful in high soil areas like Middle East, Africa, China, India, SE Asia, South America, where high levels of dust can cause significant power loss, up to 10% or more in few days if not cleaned regularly. Up to now pv panel cleaning in arid areas is done by manual cleaning and using water. This model is not viable because of scarcity of both laborers and water in arid areas, resulting in infrequent cleaning and reduced power generation of the pv plants. Moreover water used usually comes from desalination plants using diesel as fuel, polluting this way the environment.

Traction & achievements

Starting from just an idea (March 202021) and a clean sheet of paper 3 months later we have achieved to have an MVP one and a half years later. Field test are beginning November 2022. Besides we are very proud that within a year we have covered most of the ground from competitors (Ecoppia f.e.) that are active in this field for 7 years.

Team & Why Us

A mature team with complementary skills and 100+ yrs of collective professional experience in the following areas •tRenewables and solar sector (15 yrs in design, manufacturing and selling mounting frames and fixed PV structures to PV developers and operators) •ttechnology and product development (tech products, robotics engineering, AI, integrated solutions) •ttech marketing and commercialization at global scale •tleading small and large scale businesses across multiple markets •tinnovation and new venture management •tKonstantinos, co-founder and CEO https://www.linkedin.com/in/konstantin-kastanis-029018150/ , Mechanical Engineer NTUA, MBA, CEO of ELVAN and ELVAN Solar https://www.elvansolar.gr/ , a Greek industrial company that produces, sells and installs fixed PV structures, cable trays, support systems and lightning protection material. Grew company revenue and operating profit 4x in 5yrs, of which 25% from exports. •tAchilleas, co-founder and CMO https://www.linkedin.com/in/achilleas-kotrozos-b4809617/, C-level international corporate leadership experience in energy and automotive aftermarket with Mobil, BP, Castrol, Petronas. Experienced Angel Investor and Techstars Mentor. •tPanos, acting CTO https://www.linkedin.com/in/pchatzak/ and TWI team: Prototype development

Funding Needs

Having completed the MVP, we are looking at a 1.000.000 € first round of financing