Dust accumulation on photovoltaic (PV) panels degrades PV panels’ perfor mance; leading to decreased power output and consequently high cost pe r generated kilowatt. Research addressing the severity of dust accumulation on PV panels has been ongoing since the 1940s, but proposed solutions have tended to increase the cost of PV systems either from oversizing or from clea ning the system. The objective of this work, therefore, is to design and im plement a low-cost affordable automated PV panel dust cleaning system for use in rural communities of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); where financia l resources are limited and significantly strained in meeting livelihood activitie s. Complete design and implementation details of a prototype system are provided for easy replication and capitalization on PV systems for sustainable energy needs. The system detects dust based on the innovative use of light-dependent resistors. Testing and observation of the system in operational mode reveal sat isfactory performance; measured parameters quantify a power output in crease of 33.76% as a result of cleaning dust off the PV panel used in the study.
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