King Fahd University of Petroleum

and Minerals
Mechanical Engineering Department

Project Management Plan

ME 414
Project Title: Waterless Dust Removal and Sensing of Solar Panels

Team:

No. Name ID Section Mobile

1. Meshal AL-Huwaimel 201727410 02 0559616237
2. Yaser alqahtani 201835740 02 0555315656
3. Mohammed AlDobikhi 201817420 02 0590219181
4. Majed alsabee 201724030 01 0500505690

Project Advisor: ___________________

Signature: ________________________

Date: ____________________________

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 I. Specific Scope

Your Scope Statement should include the following information:

1) Justification: How and why your project came to be, the business need(s) it
addresses, the scope of work to be performed, and how it will affect and be
affected by other related activities
There are many methods for cleaning solar panels, either by hiring
workers or creating a system that either auto cleans in a certain time
interval or when the solar panel is dirty.
However, not many designs are efficient with respect to their price.
Many designs are expensive, low efficiency & not practical. This is
what our project addresses, we will create a mechanism that cleans
the solar panel wherever it is, even in the middle of the desert. As
well as having the cost not expensive when you compare the revenue
gain from the increase in efficiency and performance of the solar
panel. Our work is comprised of the mechanism the will blow the air
out of the solar panel, it will activate only when the sensor realizes
that a certain amount of dust has accumulated. Where after the dust
is blown a mechanism will move a brush either vertical or horizontal
to clean the remaining dust off. The main idea is that this mechanism
can be used in places where water is scarce and not available.

2) Objectives: The products, services, and/or results your project will produce
(also referred to as deliverables). Make your objectives SMART (Specific,
Measurable, Aggressive, Realistic and Time sensitive)
The results that this project will produce are as follows, to deliver a
product that is efficient, cheep, compared to the market and unique
in it’s ability to work everywhere and anywhere.
Places where water is scarce and far to use workers for daily cleaning
under the scorching sun. we aim to deliver a product that is simple
and efficient and can be used in such places.

3) Product scope description: The features and functions of the products,

services, and/or results your project will produce
This product can be broken down to 3 components. First the cleaning
mechanism. isochoric compression principle and utilizing high
pressure through compression, we achieve a strong air release
through a blower connected to the solar panel. The second is the 4-
axis rotating brush the cleans off the remaining dust after the gas
release from the exhaust pipe.
Lastly, is the sensor in which the mechanism will activate when it
senses the dust has accumulated.

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4) Product acceptance criteria: The process and criteria for accepting
completed products, services, or results
To create this product with a cost that doesn’t exceed 1500 SR
To achieve an efficiency higher that the other products in the market.
With respect to the price used in creation
Must work by itself with no outside support for interference.

5) Constraints: Restrictions that limit what you can achieve, how and when you
can achieve it, and how much achieving it can cost
Time – we will have only 4-5 months to create such a project
Cost- we are limited by our sponsored money from the department,
which is 1000-1500

method-We cannot use water as we wish to create a mechanism that

doesn’t rely on it.

6) Assumptions: Statements about how you will address uncertain information as

you conceive, plan, and perform your project

Efficiency – we do not know the possible necessary efficiency to

achieve our goal. Only when we are half-way in the project will we
have an idea on our desired efficiency

Our assumption is that this project will cost the maximum allowed
amount which is1500
However, it might be less that that considerably. We will however
assume this number to be the cost.

We will assume the time this project will take to create to be 4

months starting its making. However, there is the possibility of it
taking less time considerably.

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II. Schedule

1) Milestone list: A table that lists milestones and the dates you plan to reach them
2) Activity list: A table that lists activities and the dates you plan to start and end them
3) Combined milestone/activity list: A table that includes milestone and activity dates
4) Gantt chart: A timeline that illustrates when each activity starts, how long it continues, and when it ends
5) Combined milestone and Gantt chart: A timeline that illustrates when activities start, how long they continue, when they end, and when selected
milestones are achieved

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 III. Required Resources

List all required resources such as

• Human:
our project needs the following human source:
1) 4-mechanical engineers
2) 2-technician
• Material:
the required material for this project can be divided into three
categories:
I. Machines:
a. Lathe machine
b. Milling machine
II. Devices:
a. Light sensor
b. Solar panel
c. Air Compressor
d. pipe
III. Software:
a. Solidworks
b. Patheon language
• Financial:
Budget for the project is ranges between 1000 to 1500 SAR
Comments regarding the availability of the resources:
A. The human resources are available from the team members and
the university workshop
B. For material (machine, devices and software) is ether provided by
the university workshop or can be easily from outsources.
C. The budget is provided by the university to each ME414 team

IV. Budget Planning

• 200-300 SAR For solar panel
• 300-400 SAR for air compressor
• 50-100 For light sensor
• 50-100 For an aluminum pipe
• 20-50 For wheels
• 0-400 extra budget
Total cost of the project is 1350SAR

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 V. Risk

1) Identify risks: Determine which aspects of your plan or project environment may
change.
2) Assess the potential effects of those risks on your project: Consider what can
happen if those aspects don’t work out the way you envision.
3) Develop plans for mitigating the effects of the risks: Decide how you can protect
your project from the consequences of risks.

Don’t forget that risk management can’t eliminate risks, but it offers the best chance
for successfully accomplishing your project despite the uncertainties of a changing
environment.

Having a defect in the moving parts will reduce the efficiency of the power
produced. By not having the solar panel in the right angle to the sun. Also
it will reduce the life time of the moving mechanism.

Pushing the dust to the other side of the solar panel by the air flow will be a
non-sufficient way to clean the surface of the panel. And it will cause a
reduce in the power generated.

The stuck wheels will cause instability in the air flow which will be stuck in
one side of the panel and not all the surfaces. That will cause a drop in the
efficiency of the solar panel.

The inability of the pieces to bear the weight will cause the solar panel to
fall off and damaged.

Having a spare part for every piece so if there is a defects in one of the
parts will be changed immediately.

Testing the air flow mechanism before assembling and having a backup
design for the vacuum holes

Testing the wheels track under the dust to see if it will prevent the wheels
from moving. If so build a thin wall to prevent the dust from entering the
track.

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Putting the pieces under a compression test to see how it will hold under
the loads of the panel