Omani tech startup unveils solar PV self-cleaning robot
Published: 02:05 PM,May 31,2023 | EDITED : 06:05 PM,May 31,2023
Hilal al Hashmi, co-founder of Dymuma Advanced Projects, with a prototype of his solar PV self-cleaning robot at COMEX 2023.
An Omani tech startup has piloted a wholly customized solar PV self-cleaning robot that it hopes to eventually commercialise in-country to service the mega solar farms due to be rolled out in support of Oman’s green energy transition.
Dymuma Advanced Projects (DAP), co-founded by Hilal al Hashmi and Ibrahim al Jassasi, specializes in the installation, operation and maintenance of solar PV systems, but its expertise lies in the development of self-clearing solar PV robots customized for Oman’s harsh environment.
“Our solar PV self-cleaning robot has been designed and built to mitigate soling and dust accumulation on PV systems,” said Hilal al Hashmi. “Dymuma’s longer-term goal is to target large-scale solar plants that are being developed in line with Oman’s 2040 Vision.”
A prototype of the all-Omani self-cleaning robot was displayed at COMEX 2023 expo held in Muscat last week.
Set up two years ago with its headquarters at the German University of Technology (GUtech) at Halban, Dymuma has benefited from active tech support not only from GUtech, but also from BP Oman which provided initial funding support, among other reputable Omani organisations. The start-up has also received a license from the Distribution Code Review Panel (DCRP), an official entity with the authority to test the skills and capabilities of service providers operating in the electricity sector.
Significantly, the Dymuma robot has a number of technological and cost-competitive advantages over imported versions, says Hilal. “Although the underlying technology has been adopted universally, we have suitably tweaked it to optimize its performance in the Omani environment. As a dry cleaning system, it can clean PV panels of soil and accumulated dust, thus making for an efficient solution for deployment in large-scale solar farms. Further, as a local Omani company, we have the advantage of providing after-sales maintenance and support to local clients, as opposed to overseas service providers who often do not have a local support base after the installation is done.”
Dymuma’s pilot has been tested at multiple locations and environments around the country, with data gleaned from these tests then used to upgrade and optimize its installation at a given location, says Hilal. The company has also installed its own solar PV system – a 12 kW capacity unit – atop the world’s first, fastest built 3D house at GUtech. It is now working to deploy its own self-cleaning PV robot to maintain this system.
Hilal says his project is inspired by the lucrative solar PV cleaning market that is expected to rapidly materialize in the country over the next couple of decades. The switch to renewables for power generation is necessitating the installation of millions of solar PV panels across the country – rising to hundreds of millions of PV panels when Oman embarks on the development of a new industry centring on the production of green hydrogen.
With support from various government ministries, all of which are all committed to unlocking in-country value (ICV) opportunities linked to the energy transition, Dymuma hopes to receive support for its vision to set up a manufacturing facility for self-cleaning PV robots here in the Sultanate of Oman, he added.
Dymuma Advanced Projects (DAP), co-founded by Hilal al Hashmi and Ibrahim al Jassasi, specializes in the installation, operation and maintenance of solar PV systems, but its expertise lies in the development of self-clearing solar PV robots customized for Oman’s harsh environment.
“Our solar PV self-cleaning robot has been designed and built to mitigate soling and dust accumulation on PV systems,” said Hilal al Hashmi. “Dymuma’s longer-term goal is to target large-scale solar plants that are being developed in line with Oman’s 2040 Vision.”
A prototype of the all-Omani self-cleaning robot was displayed at COMEX 2023 expo held in Muscat last week.
Set up two years ago with its headquarters at the German University of Technology (GUtech) at Halban, Dymuma has benefited from active tech support not only from GUtech, but also from BP Oman which provided initial funding support, among other reputable Omani organisations. The start-up has also received a license from the Distribution Code Review Panel (DCRP), an official entity with the authority to test the skills and capabilities of service providers operating in the electricity sector.
Significantly, the Dymuma robot has a number of technological and cost-competitive advantages over imported versions, says Hilal. “Although the underlying technology has been adopted universally, we have suitably tweaked it to optimize its performance in the Omani environment. As a dry cleaning system, it can clean PV panels of soil and accumulated dust, thus making for an efficient solution for deployment in large-scale solar farms. Further, as a local Omani company, we have the advantage of providing after-sales maintenance and support to local clients, as opposed to overseas service providers who often do not have a local support base after the installation is done.”
Dymuma’s pilot has been tested at multiple locations and environments around the country, with data gleaned from these tests then used to upgrade and optimize its installation at a given location, says Hilal. The company has also installed its own solar PV system – a 12 kW capacity unit – atop the world’s first, fastest built 3D house at GUtech. It is now working to deploy its own self-cleaning PV robot to maintain this system.
Hilal says his project is inspired by the lucrative solar PV cleaning market that is expected to rapidly materialize in the country over the next couple of decades. The switch to renewables for power generation is necessitating the installation of millions of solar PV panels across the country – rising to hundreds of millions of PV panels when Oman embarks on the development of a new industry centring on the production of green hydrogen.
With support from various government ministries, all of which are all committed to unlocking in-country value (ICV) opportunities linked to the energy transition, Dymuma hopes to receive support for its vision to set up a manufacturing facility for self-cleaning PV robots here in the Sultanate of Oman, he added.