Cleaning technology

PV-Servitor

Research for the benefit of SMEs

PV-SERVITOR-DTI is IP (intellectual property) created by DTI and MRU in the EU research project PV-Servitor with a focus on automatic cleaning of photovoltaic power plants. The IP generated includes cleaning technology, know-how and two inventions described in European patent applications.

Business case

We license our technology to a network of partners. These partners incorporate our technology along their own to create smart, energy-efficient and low-cost service robots. The design of a service robot requires a large amount of R&D investment and expertise. By researching once and licensing many times, we spread the R&D costs over the whole industry, making service robots cheaper. We endeavour to recover our costs from the licence revenues of each technology, leaving the majority of royalties as profits. Over the medium term, we expect royalties to grow faster than licence revenues, and we expect that revenues will grow faster than costs, making us increasingly profitable.

Project details

Start date: 2009-09-01
End date: 2011-08-31
Duration: 24 months
Project Reference: 232062
Project cost: 1,399,331.49 EUR
Project Funding: 1,118,760.66 EUR
Programme Acronym: FP7-SME
Programme type: Seventh Framework Programme
Subprogramme Area: Co-operative Research (all areas of science and technology)
Contract type: Research for SMEs
Subject index: Coordination, Cooperation, Economic Aspects, Scientific Research, Innovation, Technology Transfer, Policies
Other Indexes: photovoltaic, robot, automated cleaning, servitor, cell inspection, dirt detection

Research and Technological Development performer DTI

DTI develops, applies and disseminates research- and technologically-based knowledge for the Danish and International business sector. As such DTI participates in development projects which are of use to society in close collaboration with leading research and educational institutions both in Denmark and abroad. On top of this DTI carries out consultancy and standardisation services. Finally DTI plays their part in strengthening the Danish labour force's competences together with educational institutions and through the Insitute's own courses, certification and lectures.

Technology partners

Technology partners have a license to use specific technologies. Partners for cleaning technology resulting from PV-Servitor are:

Inventions

Cleaning apparatus for the surface cleaning of solar modules (invention no. 3)

Inventors

The first invention regarding cleaning technology was performed in cooperation between DTI and MRU:

• Søren Peter Johansen, DTI
• Gareth Monkman, MRU
• Michael Schumm, MRU
• Daniel Treiber, MRU
• Adrian Patzak, MRU
• Sebastian Kilbertus, MRU

Applicant

Hochschule Regensburg
Prüfeninger Str. 58
93049 Regensburg / DE

Weblinks

Record at the European Patent Office
European Patent Application

Cleaning brush for the surface cleaning of solar modules (invention no. 4)

Inventor

• Søren Peter Johansen, DTI

Applicant

Hochschule Regensburg
Prüfeninger Str. 58
93049 Regensburg / DE

Weblinks

Record at the European Patent Office
European Patent Application

Download of published project results

Marco Reichel
FP7-SME-2008-1, Research for SMEs, Capacities project 1st periodic report, PV-Servitor - 232062
Publishable summary
Periodic Report - PV-SERVITOR (Autonomous cleaning robot for large scale photovoltaic power plants in Europe resulting in 5% cost reduction of electricity) - Document Date: 2010-11-09

Links

en.pv-servitor.eu
EU CORDIS FP7

Product information for: Cleaning technology

Publishing date (date of last technical specification): 2012-02-21
Manufacturer: MANU SYSTEMS
Brand: PV-Servitor
Article number: PV-SERVITOR-DTI