The winners of the sixth edition of the Young Scientists Competition "Entrepreneur in Science" by the Carol Knowledge Foundation are Alex Novkov and Teodora Savcheva, students from the Technical University of Sofia, who won a scholarship of 30,000 leva for their project SolarReviver – a system for cleaning solar panels. The jury's decision was difficult and was reached after two votes. Both are members of the RoboClub at the Technical University, as well as the third member of their team, Alexander Hadzidimitrov.
Alex Novkov is a third-year student at the Faculty of Automation. In the project, he is responsible for both the software and the hardware. "My horizon of interests and activities is broad; professionally, I focus on electronics as a hardware aspect and the development of software products in the form of system control or websites. Additionally, I engage in sports, music, brokerage, and insurance. I have been working at Software University for over a year. A personal dream and potential pride for me would be positive feedback on what I do, so that I can say that this actually helps society and the world."
Teodora Savcheva is a second-year student at the Faculty of Industrial Technologies and is responsible for software development. Previously, she was a student for one year at Sofia University majoring in "Quantum and Cosmic Theoretical Physics." "The world of quantum physics is something I will always be interested in. I believe that artificial intelligence and technology are the future. I want to be part of creating innovative technologies. I know I still have a long way to go, experience and knowledge to accumulate, but I am 100% ready and can't wait. I like to think outside the box and experiment. I love to travel and meet new people, getting to know different cultures. Until recently, I practiced sport shooting with a pistol. During the time I trained, I was the national champion for three consecutive years in the 25m small-bore pistol event. I have participated in international competitions, gaining experience and improving. This is a sport that will always bring me thrill and adrenaline."
Both of them conduct training for children. Alex teaches Microbit, Scratch, and Minecraft programming. Teodora teaches LEGO robotics, DEV Python, and Data Science to children between the ages of 7 and 14.
What is SolarReviver?
Solar panels (photovoltaic cells) are one of the most common methods for converting sunlight into electrical energy. After their installation, one of their biggest problems appears – the decrease in their efficiency. The causes of this problem are usually the accumulation of dust, bird droppings, natural pollutants, etc.
The SolarReviver system takes care of cleaning the surface of solar panels to increase their efficiency in electricity production. According to studies cited by the authors, the efficiency of solar panels can drop by up to 35% due to contamination. This is the main problem that the developed system solves. It is equipped with a water pump, a detergent compartment, and a special cleaning brush. Using all these components, the system performs the cleaning.
SolarReviver consists of two directions: hardware and software. The hardware part is built from a microcontroller, motors, and a set of sensors for various states. The software part is a web application that allows the user to monitor and report on the robot's status.
Future users of the SolarReviver System are operators of solar parks and owners of photovoltaic systems.
What is the innovation of the project?
The developers' answer: The innovation lies in the combination of a web application for remote monitoring of operational status and autonomy. The contamination detection sensor makes the robot fully autonomous. At a certain level of contamination, the cleaning system is activated. The web-based application allows the user to perform continuous real-time control over the operation, while also enabling them to monitor the parameters of their renewable energy system.
By the end of the year, the team expects to complete a demo version, and by the end of February, a field test will be conducted at the Airubis solar park.
For SolarReviver, this is not the first award. The team won the grand prize in the second season of PARA Robotics Incubator. There, from an idea, they managed to create a prototype in six months, which we saw during the competition.
Alex and Theodora also won an award from Sofia Tech Park, which gives them participation in the SEEIP incubation program.
The Entrepreneur in Science award will be presented in January, and with it, the team plans to lighten the robot, build attachments, and develop the basic software.
Source: mediabricks.bg
