Do You Clean Solar Panels

In this article you will learn how to clean solar panels the right way.

Do you clean solar panels.

Grime and bird poop doesn t need to cover an entire panel to have an effect. How to clean solar panels. This tends to result in a 3 to 5 increase in efficiency. If you do decide your solar panels need to be cleaned there are two main ways of doing it.

And don t forget to choose an environmentally friendly soap. The first thing you want to do is to check with your solar panel manufacturer. Olson recommends homeowners use a soft bristle brush with an extended handle like the type used to clean off an rv. Water could damage the electronics if it drips into the panel.

They might have specific recommendations for cleaning. Hire a professional or do it yourself. Fortunately cleaning solar panels is easy for ground mounted systems or for rooftop solar systems on a typical one story house. Remember to always check the cleaning directions from the manufacturer of your lights.

Google did a study on the need to clean solar panels. We ll get to the best way to clean your solar panels in a minute. Different products may have different cleaning. Make sure to squeeze out the cloth or sponge before wiping the bulb.

They found that tilted panels don t require cleaning as much as flat panels. But first let s look at when and why you might need to invest in solar panel cleaning equipment or hire a professional cleaning service. If you clean your panels monthly then this may be all you need to clean them. A lot of solar companies will offer this type of service to you for a fee of course.

At the very least you should do an annual cleaning of your panels. Solar panels are generally self cleaning but in particularly dry areas or where panel tilt is minimal dust and other substances such as bird droppings can build up over time and impact on the amount electricity generated by a module. This is where cleaning solar panels may have to be done. How to clean solar panels.

However unless you live somewhere with high amounts of smog dust dirt or sand blowing around solar panel cleaning is generally not necessary in most cases occasional rain will be enough to naturally and safely keep your solar panels clean and free of debris that could lower production. You can include a solar panel cleaning as part of your spring cleaning routine. Most manufacturers recommend cleaning at least twice a year. However cleaning is one aspect of solar panel maintenance that should not be taken lightly.

The glass is strong but using abrasive materials can scratch the surface of the glass reducing its performance or even damaging the module.