Robotic lawnmower for green roofs with PV systems

Enabling the economical operation of a photovoltaic system on a greened flat roof

The installation of photovoltaic systems on flat roofs, as well as the greening of roofs, offers significant ecological advantages. Using roof space for renewable energy generation through photovoltaic systems contributes to reducing CO2 emissions, while green roofs promote rainwater retention and contribute to the preservation of biodiversity. Although these two uses of a flat roof are not mutually exclusive, the simultaneous implementation of both concepts is currently not economically viable. Intensive plant growth impairs the electricity production of photovoltaic systems, and the manual maintenance of green roofs incurs operating costs that cannot be covered by the revenue generated from electricity production. However, the use of a robotic lawnmower for green roofs enables the economical operation of a photovoltaic system on a greened flat roof.

The type of vegetation, the specific environment, and the intended use preclude the use of existing (autonomous) robotic lawnmowers for lawns or meadows. Therefore, in this Innosuisse-supported project, a prototype of a robotic lawnmower capable of completely autonomous mowing of green roofs with photovoltaic systems was developed in collaboration with industry partner WepAir AG from Andelfingen and with support from the Solarspar association from Sissach.