HOW TO CLEAN SOLAR PANELS

In this blog, we’re going to talk about how and when to clean solar panels!

Keeping your solar panels clean has been shown to increase their overall effectiveness and performance over time. Ensuring you have a regular cleaning routine is key to a long-lasting and high-performing solar panel system. Continue reading to learn the step-by-step process for maintaining your solar panels.

Why Do You Need to Clean Solar Panels?

The dust, dirt, pollen, and debris that accumulates on solar panels over time has the potential to decrease the efficiency of the panel by roughly 5%. This may not seem like a significant difference. However, depending on the size of your solar panel system, it can have major impacts. If you live in a dry climate or somewhere that’s particularly dusty and dirty, this effect is almost magnified.

The bottom line here is that just like most equipment, your panels need a good cleaning from time to time. If you want long-lasting panels operating at their max efficiency, then you might want to consider developing a good cleaning routine.

Here’s what we suggest:

How to Clean Solar Panels

Generally, the act of cleaning your solar panels is not that difficult. The hardest part is making sure you have the right tools to complete the job. Depending on the size of your solar panels, having a tool with the proper height to reach across the entire surface area of the solar panels will be the most difficult part in nailing down a fool-proof cleaning routine.

Depending on the overall status and the amount of debris on your panels, you may not have to do much to clean them. Therefore, it’s important to inspect and evaluate the panels before going straight to a cleaning solution. Conduct a visual inspection and determine the extent of the debris, dirt, and substance build-up on the panels (are there sticky substances such as bird droppings or tree sap?).

Minimal Dust

If your panels are unclean from just dirt and dust build-up, then most likely, you won’t need anything additional other than a simple hose-down to get them clean and tidy. Easily spray away dirt and grime off your solar panels using a common garden hose, provided it can reach your panels, and you’re good to go. The panels will dry off in the sun. When spraying your panels, be sure not to use high-pressure jets or an actual pressure washer as this could scratch or damage the panels themselves, leaving you with lowered performance and efficiency.

Extensive Mess

If your solar panels are heavily soiled or have sticky substances such as bird droppings or plant sap and excrements, then you may need to give the panels a good scrub down.

Again, it’s important to use light pressure when cleaning and scrubbing the solar panels to avoid causing any damage to the panels themselves. Choose a soft scrubber, squeegee, sponge, or soft bristle brush that’s gentle enough to avoid causing scratches, and pick a mild soap that doesn’t contain harsh chemicals which could potentially degrade the panels.

Here’s how you clean the panels:

- Fill a bucket with warm water and add a small amount of mild soap.

- Spray down the solar panels with a hose, or with another low-pressure sprayer.

- Using the soapy water and a scrubber, gently scrub the panels and clean them of any debris or buildup.

- Rinse solar panels thoroughly to remove any soapy water.

- Allow panels to dry in the sun.

There you have it, it’s a straightforward process that doesn’t require much. Provided you have a hose that’s long enough to reach the panels, and something to scrub them off with, you have a fairly seamless cleaning routine. It’s important to remember that solar panels can get extremely hot on sunny summer days, so you may want to schedule your cleanings for early in the morning or later in the evening.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading through our guide to cleaning your solar panels. We want to not only teach you the importance of cleaning your solar panels, but also help determine when it’s necessary to clean them. Generally, solar panels are strong, resilient, and don’t need as much upkeep as most are led to believe. With routine cleanings, you can extend the overall life and performance of your solar panels.

To find out everything you need to know about solar energy, be sure to check back regularly to Newpowa.