Solar Panels : Solar Panel Cleaning Guide

Solar Panel Cleaning: How to Keep Your Solar Panels Clean and Efficient

When it comes to Solar Panel cleaning, it's important to understand why panels should be cleaned from grime all the time.

Clean Solar Panels allow efficient charging so the solar battery will be energized faster in your home.

But there are many other reasons to clean your Solar Panels regularly.

So what is the proper way of cleaning solar panels? According to experts, there are standard techniques to safely remove dust buildup from the panels.

The most common blockers are dust, water, and leaves.

Read on to find out how you can effectively remove all these solar blockers for more efficient solar panels.

Dirt causes a lot of problems on Solar Panels over time.

To keep Solar Panels crystal-clear and dirt-free, it's important to establish a maintenance routine to ensure productive Solar Panels all year round.

However, location plays an important role in the overall condition of the panels.

Before cleaning, know what triggers dirt buildup on the panels as this can directly affect the performance of the entire system.

While a fleck of dirt may not have a big impact, the consistent buildup can block the light that gets through the panels.

Rain can wash out small particles of dust, but excessive dirt needs immediate action.

Regular washing prevents dirty Solar Panels from reducing efficiency and output.

Thorough cleaning makes the panels 3.5% more efficient according to a test conducted by a solar company.

But if you don't clean your Solar Panels regularly, they may lose about 30% energy yield every year.

Moreover, always check the panels for leaves and other debris.

These can block light and limit the panels in harvesting solar energy throughout the day.

When you clean the panels from leaves, it can double the energy overnight.

Rain may take away the leaves, but you still need to monitor the panels to avoid buildup.

Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when cleaning PV solar panels:

• Refer to your user manual or manufacturer for specific instructions, especially the ones you need to avoid doing or using on the solar panels.

• Brush off leaves and other loose debris that have settled on the solar panels.

• Remove the dirt using a garden hose without too much pressure as it can damage the solar panels.

• If there are tough spots that can't be removed by plain water, you may use a mild soap solution.

Just make sure the bucket of soapy water contains a minimum cleansing agent.

When Should You Clean Your Solar Panels

As a rule of thumb, the best time to clean Solar Panels is during overcast weather, early or later in the day.

These panels can become hot, so cleaning them during a sunny day can be challenging.

Experts suggest that early in the morning is the perfect option for households.

Depending on the location of the PV arrays, when and how often cleaning should be done can vary from every home.

For instance, if you put your Solar Panels in a dustier area, you may need to regularly clean them to prevent dirt buildup.

Also, homes that are near the main road or farmland usually need more frequent cleaning.

Another common problem that can help determine whether you need to regularly clean your Solar Panel is bird droppings.

Unlike dust, this is more damaging to PV arrays.

If your Solar Panels have micro-inverters or string inverters, you can easily spot the ones with the blocked current flow as they are covered with bird droppings.

For off-grid solar power systems, it's much easier to clean up or avoid droppings from birds and other animals.

Make sure your Solar Panels are not placed near a tree because they will surely attract birds.

Leaves and droppings can build up over time and make the panel absorb less light during the day.

With a lot of factors that can contribute to debris buildup on the panels, it's important to consider regular Solar Panel cleaning efforts.

Another helpful tip to ensure dust and water won't stay on Solar Panels is to secure them in an angled position.

Flat panels are more vulnerable to muddy residues formed by dust and rain.

On the other hand, angled panels won't require much cleaning as the rain washes off the dirt.

Therefore, you don't need to clean your Solar Panels every so often, especially when you're in an area where rain is experienced from time to time.

By considering all these factors, you will know when and how often you should go to your rooftop and clean your solar panels.

The more solar blockers your panels get, the stricter you need to follow your Solar Panel cleaning routine.

If there are fewer blockers such as bird droppings, leaves, and dust, then you can clean your panel only when needed.

Whether you're in a place with more humid weather or dry climate, installation factors, location, types of dust, and other environmental factors can affect the following:

• Whether rain will take away the dust to clean panels and restore up to 95% performance.

• How dust buildup can affect solar energy production.

• How much dirt will settle on panels over time?

Things You Can Use to Clean the Panels

Perhaps, you've heard that using soap to clean Solar Panels is not a good idea.

While regular washing is needed to keep panels clean, it's not advisable to use water and soap.

The residue or film that sticks to the panel after using soap can attract dust and create dirt buildup faster.

As a result, this affects the efficiency and output of the panels.

Instead of using cleaning agents on your solar panels, it's safer to rely on a brush and deionized water for effective tidying.

Experts recommend deionized water because it doesn't leave any residue on the panel.

More importantly, deionized water on a rotating brush leaves a spot-free shine on Solar Panels just like when they were installed the first time.

There are specialized brush cleaners you can use to avoid potential damage or risk to your solar panels.

For example, wheels are attached to rolling brushes to smoothly glide across the panel while cleaning.

This allows for a hassle-free deep clean without any damage to the solar panels.

The water runs through an ionizing or demineralizing system.

A safe cleaning system for Solar Panels and PV arrays with a proper water treatment process is the most effective way to keep them clean, efficient, and productive.

It uses less water, no harsh detergents or chemicals, and fewer passes.

The convenience of using deionized water is that you can pass it through a water-fed pole to help the brush effectively clean the panels in your home.

With a soap-free cleaning solution for domestic solar panels, you are guaranteed completely clean results without any residue.

So the next time you clean your solar panels, make sure to avoid using soap which can leave a thin film that may block light.

The small molecules in the soap solution also don't completely remove dirt and dust buildup.

More importantly, you can ask for professional help in case you're not sure how to perform Solar Panel cleaning properly.

Check out the following Solar Panel cleaning materials you can safely use:

• Use a cloth and a wiper to easily reach the corners of the Solar Panels where dust may have accumulated for a long time.

• Don't use harsh or metal tools to remove bird droppings or accumulated dust as they can scratch the panel and cause damage.

Scratching can reduce the performance of Solar Panels while affecting the overall lifespan.

• An unsoiled rag, non-abrasive sponge, or soft cloth are good materials for Solar Panel cleaning.

How to Prevent Dirt and Grime

Generally, PV solar installations are reasonably low-maintenance.

However, areas with occasional rain can make Solar Panels more vulnerable to accumulated dirt and bird droppings.

Locations near airports, factories, highways, and freeways can also trigger dirty PV Solar Panels that can hamper productivity.

Over time, solar units can develop grime, dust, and even oil that are more challenging to clean up.

Without proper cleaning, Solar Panels may reduce their efficiency to 15% after years of usage.

Therefore, it's good to know how you can effectively prevent dust and grime from build up on the panels.

The main problem with dirty Solar Panels is that they can get damaged or reduce their efficiency in absorbing light.

Sometimes, a good wash is not enough to remove plain dirt as grime can build up over time.

To prevent this, it's important to check your panels regularly and perform a much-needed cleaning.

Normal rainfall rinses away dirt and helps PV Solar Panels produce a maximum capacity of energy.

This might give you an idea that panels in this climate need less maintenance.

According to experts, frequent rainfall doesn't necessarily mean clean solar panels.

Dust is not the only problem you need to think about when it comes to maintaining Solar Panels in your home.

Grime buildup is a tougher problem to resolve as it includes bird droppings, a hazy film due to smog, ash, leaves, and pollen.

With different types of dirt that can contribute to surface soiling, Solar Panels should be maintained properly for optimum performance.

It's not good to depend on rainfall to wash the grime off the panels.

However, if you're living in one of these areas, then rainfall alone can effectively clean your solar panels:

• Areas where rainfall is experienced frequent enough to prevent dirt buildup from reducing solar energy production.

• Areas where the type of dust can easily be washed away by rain.

• Areas where dirt makes up the largest portion of the accumulated grime on the PV solar panels.

Benefits of Regularly Cleaning Solar Panels

Dirt buildup on Solar Panels is usually composed of soot, lichen, plant sap, and airborne dust particles.

Accumulated dirt can lead to shading which prevents light from getting absorbed by the cells.

As a result, the PV solar power system provides poor performance and output.

For instance, a dirty Solar Panel means reduced lifespan and efficiency.

It can also lead to permanent module staining.

More importantly, not cleaning your Solar Panels regularly can affect your warranty.

There are many downsides to neglecting the need to maintain clean solar panels.

If you think rainfall is enough to clean your solar panels, then why do people visit their local car wash shop after a rainstorm? Rain and pollutants are not a good combination, especially if there are tough spots formed on the surface.

So what are the advantages of regular Solar Panel cleaning?

Here's a list of the benefits of extensive cleaning and maintaining solar panels:

• Keep Solar Panels efficient and productive so electricity consumption is reduced.

• Prevent cracks or hot spots in the Solar Panels due to debris and other solar blockers.

Reduce overheating on the panels to make sure they work efficiently.

• Check solar power system for potential damage with a regular maintenance schedule.

• Ensures you can take advantage of your limited warranty.

• Extends the lifespan of your PV solar power system for productive investment.

• Reduces monthly electricity bills while giving you peace of mind.

Some people would say their Solar Panels are maintenance-free and self-cleaning, this is a myth.

The only reason people say their panels are self-cleaning is that some have hydrophobic surfaces.

This means water droplets don't stick to the panels.

However, it doesn't guarantee that hydrophobic Solar Panels are maintenance-free.

Is It Worth Hiring Professional Cleaners

In some cases, it's easier, safer, and cheaper to contact Solar Panel cleaning experts than to perform DIY cleaning.

This route, however, is only for those who can't perform regular cleaning or don't have the time to do so.

If you've decided cleaning Solar Panels isn't for you, that's okay.

More often than not, these are some of the reasons why some people opt for professional cleaning services to maintain their PV solar panels:

• The roof is slippery, steep, or too high to walk on, making it unsafe to do the cleaning yourself.

• Lack of cleaning tools including a ladder to reach the location of solar panels.

In addition, it's an expensive idea to buy and store tools that can only be used a few times every year.

• Physical limitations such as climbing ladders, walking on slippery rooftops and carrying heavy cleaning tools.

• Don't personally prefer doing the dirty work.

For many solar customers, getting an expert cleaning service can be a worthwhile option.

You can contact your installer to see if they provide a Solar Panel cleaning service.

Hiring the same company means they have information about your roof pitch, solar array square footage, and roofing materials.

With this information, they can easily provide you with an accurate quote for the cleaning project.

Manually cleaning PV Solar Panels has potential risks.

For instance, you may experience a personal injury while climbing a ladder or walking on a slippery roof.

If you are not comfortable doing this on your own, it's important to consider personal safety and consult the experts.

On the other hand, there are Solar Panel cleaning kits available in the market today.

If you have the budget to invest in your cleaning tools, there are some quality products you can choose from.

A typical Solar Panel cleaning kit includes hose interconnections, cloths, brushes, carrying bags, and extension poles.

Cleaning Solar Panels Overview

To clean PV solar panels, it's best to use water and a soft cloth or brush.

However, grime buildup may require a tougher solution to effectively remove dirt and dust from the modules.

The safest way to clean your dirty panels is to use a mild cleaning solution specifically formulated for solar panels.

This way, dirt, and dust are removed without damaging the modules.

Moreover, brushes are also essential cleaning tools that every home should have.

Solar panels are often installed in hard-to-reach areas that can be challenging to clean.

Most Solar Panel cleaning brushes are designed with extension poles so you can clean the panels even from a safe distance.

While cloth and water are simple cleaning solutions for domestic PV solar power systems, you may also use some mild cleaning products that offer a faster and simpler approach for easy maintenance.

The most common materials you need in maintaining your Solar Panels include cleaning solutions, squeegees, extensions, and brushes.

So, how often do you clean your Solar Panels at home? Do they still produce high output to help reduce electricity consumption? This all-in guide is all you need to ensure your solar power system works smoothly and efficiently no matter the season.