Automatic solar panel cleaning system

An automatic solar panel cleaning (“ASC”) system, comprising:

• a solar panel including a face and a frame;
• a sensor including a light source and a receiver, the light source being configured to emit a light at the face, and the receiver being configured to output a signal based on an amount of the light detected by the receiver, the amount of light detected being correlated to an amount of soil accumulation on the face of the solar panel;
• a tank storing a cleaning fluid;
• a pump in fluid communication with the tank;
• a nozzle located adjacent to a first end of the solar panel and in fluid communication with the tank and the pump, the nozzle being oriented such that the cleaning fluid exiting the nozzle is directed at the face of the solar panel;
• a controller including a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, that when executed, cause a cleaning operation to be performed, the cleaning operation comprising:
• comparing the signal output by the receiver to an accumulation threshold indicative of an undesired soil accumulation on the face of the solar panel;
• and
• operating the pump after the signal reaches the accumulation threshold, thereby pumping the cleaning fluid from the tank and out of the nozzle onto the face of the solar panel.