Do Rooftop Solar Panels Need Cleaning

Dirt on solar panels usually has very little effect on their performance.

Do rooftop solar panels need cleaning.

Yes you have to clean your rooftop solar panels and you have to clean them regularly. According to the clean energy council 2018 also saw a 45 per cent growth in commercial solarpower systems. Clean the surface of the solar panel with a soft cloth or sponge. You do not have to clean the wiring underneath.

The best way to clean solar panels is through professional help as of may 31 2020 australia now has more than 2 43 million solar power systems installed across rooftops. Most manufacturers recommend cleaning at least twice a year. Show extra caution if cleaning your solar panels requires you to climb up on the roof. This is because for most homes in australia rainfall is enough to keep solar panels reasonably clean.

We ll get to the best way to clean your solar panels in a minute. There are some times it might make sense to clean your solar panels though. After all anything that accumulates dirt on them for example dust or pollen will get washed off the next time it rains. Many homeowners opt to clean their own solar panels.

One company selling an automated washing system says panels should be washed every couple of weeks. The short answer is that it is unlikely to be worth it. At the very least you should do an annual cleaning of your panels. Grime will build up but eventually there will be sufficient rain to wash most of it off.

In most cases you won t need to clean your solar panels often if at all. If the sun is beating down on the panels any water used can quickly evaporate and dirt will become smeared. You can include a solar panel cleaning as part of your spring cleaning routine. Customers often ask us if they should arrange to have their solar panels cleaned.

In the uk climate solar panels are largely self cleaning and deterioration in pv system output due to dust or dirt is rarely detectable even after 3 years. Clean your solar panelson an overcast day early in the morning or in the evening. Some say panels need an annual scrub others say quarterly. In other parts of the world where rainfall levels are lower build up of dust and dirt can present more of an issue and panels may need to be cleaned more often to prevent a significant drop in output.

There are some instances where solar panels might need cleaning but most of the evidence says solar panels are self sufficient and low maintenance. Early morning can be a particularly good time for cleaning as dew that has settled on the panels overnight will likely have softened grime. This tends to result in a 3 to 5 increase in efficiency.