China-based robotic solar module cleaning solutions firm Sunpure announced that it has completed its Series A funding round of ¥100 million (~$676,221) led by Hengxu Capital.

Yuantai Investment Partners Fund, Guoyuan Fund, and the company’s existing shareholder, GL Venture, also participated in this round.

The company, which specializes in research and development, manufacturing, sales, and service of intelligent photovoltaic (PV) robots, said it has secured contracts for over 13 GW capacity, and its cleaning robot has been deployed in 14 countries and regions.

The funds raised in this round will be directed towards the research and development of intelligent robots for solar projects,  as well as the optimization and upgrading of comprehensive cleaning solutions across various scenarios.

The company is keen on exploring robotic applications in different stages of PV plant development, with the aim of enhancing power generation efficiency, increasing the overall internal rate of return, lowering the levelized cost of electricity, and delivering higher value to global customers.

The process of soil, dust, and snow getting collected on solar panels, which is referred to as “soiling,” hinders the amount of light hitting the module and its output.

According to a report by the International Energy Agency, the soiling of solar PV systems could have led to a loss of €4-7 billion ($4.3-7.6 billion) in 2023, which is equivalent to a 4-5% loss in energy production worldwide. To alleviate these costs, the right cleaning technology, which includes solutions such as automated PV cleaners, is important for the operation and maintenance of solar farms.

Recently, robotic cleaning technology has emerged as a cost-effective method amongst utility-scale solar developers because of its efficiency in optimizing operations and management of solar projects.

According to Mercom Capital Group’s newly released Annual and Q4 2023 Solar Funding and M&A Report, the global corporate funding in the solar sector in 2023, including venture capital investments, public market funding, and debt financing, reached $34.3 billion, a 42% year-over-year increase from $24.1 billion.