<![CDATA[Dust accumulation on photovoltaic surfaces can reduce incoming irradiance, making surface maintenance an important part of PV operation. This study develops an Internet of Things (IoT)-based solar panel cleaning robot prototype using a NodeMCU ESP8266, ultrasonic sensors, drive motors, a cleaning mechanism, and a 12 V power supply. The development process included hardware design, programming, cleaning-process testing, and distance-sensor validation. On a panel described in the source manuscript as “2 meters,” the cleanliness status changed from “dirty” at minutes 1–2 to “moderate” at minutes 3–5 and “clean” at minute 6, while the recorded system voltage remained 12 V. Ultrasonic-sensor measurements from 10 to 100 cm produced a mean absolute error of 1.3 cm and an MAPE of approximately 2.97% against ruler measurements. The results demonstrate basic navigation and cleaning functions. However, cleaning effectiveness on PV performance cannot yet be established because electrical output, dust mass, cleaned area, path completion, and IoT communication performance were not quantitatively measured.]]>
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