Airtouch, Solabot Technologies, Sol-Bright Photovoltaic Technology, Aegeus Technologies, and Skilancer Solar were the top robotic solar module cleaning system suppliers in India in the first half (1H) of the calendar year (CY) 2022, according to Mercom’s recently released India Solar Market Leaderboard 1H 2022.

The report provides insights into the industry leaders’ market share and shipment rankings across the Indian solar supply chain.

The top three companies accounted for 62% of the market share in 1H 2022.

Airtouch Solar supplies autonomous, water-free robotic cleaning solutions for utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) installations. Airtouch’s patented technology features a relatively simple system adjustable to almost any solar field layout, with enhanced capabilities. The company signed a $7.6 million (~₹621 million) contract with ReNew Power to supply water-free robotic cleaning systems for three of the latter’s solar projects in Rajasthan.

Earlier, Airtouch Solar completed an initial public offering, raising $18 million (~₹1.5 billion) at a company post-money valuation of $124 million (~₹10.1 billion).

Solabot Technologies makes industrial-scale, semi-automatic, and fully automatic dry solar module cleaning robots. After years of expansion and development, Solabot has supplied and installed dry robotic cleaning systems for solar projects covering more than 11 states in the country. The company is manufacturing 400 robots per month for delivery in short timelines to customers.

China-based Sol-Bright has supplied almost 50,000 units of robots and covered more than 15 GW capacity worldwide. Sol-Bright has footprints in UAE, KSA, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Palestine, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Thailand, Kenya, Eritrea, Australia, Chile, Argentina, and the USA.

Sol-Bright led the way in cumulative deployment, followed by Ecoppia and Solabot Technologies. As of June 2022, Sol-Bright supplied 4.2 GW of robotic cleaning systems to the Indian market, followed by Ecoppia and Solabot Technologies with 3.8 GW and 3 GW, respectively.

In February this year, Israel-based Ecoppia announced a tie-up for the first-ever hybrid project of 400 MW with Azure Power. The deployment will feature Ecoppia’s full product suite, the E4, the T4, and the H4, powered by the patented Helix Technology.

Ecoppia also announced another project of 150 MW with Sprng Energy, a company owned by the global investment platform Actis. Ecoppia’s robots will be deployed at Sprng Solar’s Ananthapuram project in Andhra Pradesh.

Sol-Bright Photovoltaic Technology was the top supplier of solar robotic cleaning systems to the Indian market in 2021.