Do You Clean Solar Panels

We ll get to the best way to clean your solar panels in a minute.

Do you clean solar panels.

The first thing you want to do is to check with your solar panel manufacturer. However cleaning is one aspect of solar panel maintenance that should not be taken lightly. At the very least you should do an annual cleaning of your panels. They might have specific recommendations for cleaning.

Make sure to squeeze out the cloth or sponge before wiping the bulb. This is where cleaning solar panels may have to be done. How to clean solar panels. Google did a study on the need to clean solar panels.

If your solar panels are installed on the ground then you can opt to use a simple sponge to clean them up or a soft brush as. Different products may have different cleaning. Hire a professional or do it yourself. 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.

If you clean your panels monthly then this may be all you need to clean them. And don t forget to choose an environmentally friendly soap. How to clean solar panels. Your solar panels need to be exposed to sunlight in order to produce power.

Remember to always check the cleaning directions from the manufacturer of your lights. Grime and bird poop doesn t need to cover an entire panel to have an effect. Olson recommends homeowners use a soft bristle brush with an extended handle like the type used to clean off an rv. Fortunately cleaning solar panels is easy for ground mounted systems or for rooftop solar systems on a typical one story house.

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

Most manufacturers recommend cleaning at least twice a year. A lot of solar companies will offer this type of service to you for a fee of course. You can include a solar panel cleaning as part of your spring cleaning routine. 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.