The problem
Solar panels rated at 20 to 22% efficiency in the lab typically deliver only 15 to 18% in the field, The Better India reports, largely because of dust, reflection and heat. NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech hub notes that frequent manual cleaning raises costs and uses large volumes of water, often in the arid regions where many solar parks sit. A 1 MW plant can use 20,000 to 30,000 litres per cleaning cycle, repeated weekly or fortnightly, and in Rajasthan water is sometimes trucked in by tanker.
Co-founder Dr Harsh Sethi says the idea started when a plant manager told him, “We lose more energy to dirt than to clouds,” and when he saw a farmer washing his panels with precious drinking water.
The product
TriNANO’s coating is a solid-state, inorganic layer of ceramic and oxide material that bonds with the glass surface of a panel. At 0.4 microns, around one hundredth the width of a human hair, it changes how the glass handles light and dirt without touching the solar cells beneath. The company describes the microstructure as resembling a rainforest canopy.
It does four jobs at once. It reduces reflection so more sunlight enters the cells. Its engineered nanostructures trap light and steer it to the cells. Its anti-soiling surface stops dust, oil, grime and bird droppings from sticking, so rain, air or a soft brush can remove them. And it reflects some infrared light, which The Better India says keeps panels 2 to 3 °C cooler.
The coating works on mono, poly and thin-film panels of any brand or age, on rooftops and in ground-mounted plants. Because it is applied at normal temperatures without baking, it can go on in a factory or on panels already installed in a field. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s profile calls it eco-friendly, durable and applied with a waste-free technique.
How it works
- Clean. The panel glass is prepared, whether new or years old.
- Deposit. The company says the coating is applied by an electro-deposition process.
- Bond. A thin, solid layer bonds with the glass at the nanoscale.
- Trap. The microstructure cuts reflection and guides light to the cells.
- Shed. Dirt sticks less, so rain or light cleaning removes it.
- Cool. Infrared reflection lowers cell temperature and slows wear.
Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2016 to 2017 | Sethi hears the “dirt, not clouds” remark from a solar plant manager |
| 2018 to 2019 | Development of the coating begins |
| 2020 to 2022 | COVID hits; MNRE and IIT Bombay support help the team survive |
| Jan 2022 | TriNANO Technologies registered in Maharashtra and incubated at SINE, IIT Bombay |
| Jun 2024 | UN Women lists co-founder Dr Anshu Dandia among seven Asian women-led climate tech start-ups |
| Nov 2024 to Mar 2025 | Five-month side-by-side test by Renkube in Bengaluru records 6% more output |
| 22 Jul 2026 | NITI Aayog Frontier Tech publishes a TriNANO case study |
Impact and numbers
According to the company’s field data, reported by NITI Aayog, coated panels generate about 4% more electricity and need 55% less cleaning water, saving more than a million litres per megawatt each year. Testing at the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), IIT Bombay, and the National Institute of Solar Energy showed a 7 to 8% power gain on commercial panels, according to the MNRE profile. NCPRE also put the coating through accelerated ultraviolet exposure, thermal cycling, damp heat and outdoor soiling trials.
Field results include the Renkube test in Bengaluru, which found 6% higher output, and the Neemuch retrofit, where 11-year-old panels gained 3.8% while cleaning frequency fell by 56%. TriNANO lists projects with BluPine Energy in Bikaner, Adani Green in Kanesar, a rooftop for Toyota in Manesar and Ayaana Power in Pavagada.
The company also claims panels last two to three years longer, lifecycle carbon emissions fall by 5.2% and land-use efficiency improves by 7.6%. Priced at about ₹750 per 540 Wp panel, it says the coating pays back within two years, and that coating a 10 MW plant could add 720 MWh a year.
TriNANO has raised about US$700,000 (around ₹6 crore) in grants and seed money from backers including Spectrum Impact, Aar Em Ventures, NRDC and Elektron Invest GmbH.
Honest caveats
Mostly self-reported. NITI Aayog states its stories are submitted “as is” and are not endorsement or validation. Many figures come from TriNANO or its customers.
Numbers vary. Sources quote gains of 4%, 6%, 7 to 8% and, in a 2024 UN Women profile, 10%. Results depend on site, dust and panel age.
Durability over decades unproven. Accelerated tests are encouraging, but the coating has not yet been watched across a full 25-year panel life.
Small scale. Throughput is about 7 MW a year; the jump to 330 MW depends on robotic lines that are still being built.
What’s next
TriNANO is developing automated robotic coating systems that can process 65 MW of panels a year per line, aiming to lift annual throughput from 7 MW to 330 MW by FY 2026 to 2027. It was honoured at National Startup Day 2026.
Why it matters for Europe and green buyers
For Europe, the lesson is about retrofits: southern European solar parks also face dust and heat, and a coating that lifts output from existing panels without new land could be a cheap efficiency gain. A European investor, Elektron Invest GmbH, is already a backer.
For India, where solar is growing fastest and water is scarce, cutting cleaning water by half in states like Rajasthan matters as much as the extra power. For the world, getting more electricity from panels already installed, and keeping them working longer, reduces both land use and future solar waste.
Sources & image credits
- NITI Aayog Frontier Tech Hub, “This Indian Deep-Tech Innovation Boosts Solar Output by 4% and Cuts Panel Cleaning Water Use by 55%”, updated 22 July 2026. https://frontiertech.niti.gov.in/story/this-indian-deep-tech-innovation-boosts-solar-output-by-4-and-cuts-panel-cleaning-water-use-by-55/
- The Better India, “How TriNANO’s Nano-Coating Is Helping Indian Solar Panels Produce More Power With 55% Less Water”. https://thebetterindia.com/innovation/trinano-technologies-mumbai-nano-coating-solar-panels-india-water-saving-output-12069701
- TriNANO Technologies, “TriNANO & Our Technology”. https://tri-nano.co/trinano-our-technology/
- TriNANO Technologies, home page. https://tri-nano.co/
- TriNANO Technologies, “Our Team”. https://tri-nano.co/our-team/
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, “Eco-friendly Nanocoating for Solar Panels for Enhanced Output”, January 2024. https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3716e1b8c6cd17b771da77391355749f3/uploads/2024/01/202401291663263545.pdf
- UN Women Asia and the Pacific, “Seven Asian women-led climate tech startups making a positive environmental impact”, June 2024. https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/stories/feature-story/2024/06/seven-asian-women-led-climate-tech-startups-making-a-positive-environmental-impact
- Wikimedia Commons, “Solar Power Panel Cleaning”. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Solar_Power_Panel_Cleaning.jpg
Images: “Solar Power Panel Cleaning”, Dineshvdh, 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Illustrative; not a TriNANO site.
