News & Activities
The Silent Loss Undermining Solar Output: Why Accurate Soiling Data Matters
CANNING VALE, AUSTRALIA – November 2025
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Across Australia, operators are facing a performance issue that often goes unnoticed until the numbers reveal the truth. Soiling is still widely underestimated, and the gap between perceived loss and actual loss is far larger than most teams realise. Recent field data confirms this with clarity.
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In one utility PV site in the Pilbara, measured soiling impact reached 9.5 percent. This was not a model or an assumed loss. It was verified lost generation that accumulated quietly in day-to-day operations.
What looked like a minor maintenance concern was, in fact, a material performance gap with direct consequences on output and revenue.
When Dust Becomes a Hidden Loss
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Dust buildup creates a gradual loss that even experienced engineers fail to catch early. Without a structured strategy, operators consistently encounter:
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Compounding reductions in generation
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Gaps between expected and actual performance
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Revenue impacts that blend into daily variability
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Increased manual inspections and reactive interventions
These losses remain hidden because they develop slowly and are often mistaken for normal degradation.
How SER Identified the Real Scale of the Problem
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Through our work with asset owners, EPCs, and O&M teams, we saw the same issue across multiple sites. Soiling was acknowledged but not measured accurately, and cleaning strategies were irregular. In remote or dust-intensive regions, the gap widened quickly.
By tracking soiling rates across different environments and validating them with real operational data, we uncovered that many sites were losing far more than expected. The Pilbara site was a clear example, where the measured 9.5 percent loss surprised even seasoned operators.
This confirmed the need for a proactive approach built around accurate data and consistent cleaning.
SER’s Strategy for Controlling Soiling Losses
Our autonomous robotic cleaning systems are engineered to maintain steady performance in high-dust environments. They provide a structured, reliable approach that replaces guesswork with measurable control:
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Autonomous cleaning cycles that prevent output drift
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Consistent performance regardless of dust conditions
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Remote oversight that reduces site visits
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Waterless and low-impact solutions suited for remote areas
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Lightweight designs that protect panels over long cleaning cycles
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With these systems deployed, the Pilbara site reduced its soiling loss from 9.5 percent to 0.5 percent and kept it within that range.
The Value of Acting Before the Losses Grow
Proactive soiling management delivers clear benefits:
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Stable and predictable output
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Better forecasting accuracy
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Reduced operational overheads
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Improved asset reliability and financial performance
Once cleaning becomes automated, dust can no longer dictate how a site performs. Operators regain control instead of responding to unexpected dips.
Take Control of Your Asset Performance
Soiling is a preventable loss, but only when the right strategy is in place. SER provides the data, the technology, and the consistency required to keep output steady in challenging environments.
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If you want to see the numbers that drove the Pilbara site from a 9.5 percent loss to 0.5 percent, contact us and we will walk you through the full dataset.
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Protect your generation. Safeguard your yield. With SER, soiling becomes a controlled factor, not a silent loss.
Business Inquiries
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Contact: admin@seraus.com.au​​
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