They may look scary and technical but in fact the technology is securely sealed inside the solar panel.
Cleaning solar pv panels.
Some manufacturers and solar panel users report a jump in efficiency of 30 percent or more after a cleaning.
All the electrical stuff is safely protected with aluminum frames hardened glass and insulation.
Use a soft brush or a sponge.
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.
Despite that water and cloth may be simply used for pv system cleaning other solar panel cleaning products may offer a simpler faster and better approach for this maintenance.
Why should i clean my solar panels.
We ll get to the best way to clean your solar panels in a minute.
How to clean your solar panels.
The most effective way to clean your solar panels is with a hose and a bucket of soapy water.
Simply put if you can clean a window you can clean a solar panel.
Cleaning ones solar panels is not hard at all.
Google conducted a groundbreaking experiment at their 1 6 mw solar farm in mountain view california.
We know that dust dirt pollen bird droppings and other debris can negatively affect solar panel efficiency.
Google did a study on the need to clean solar panels.
They found that tilted panels don t require cleaning as much as flat panels.
Therefore keeping constant solar panel maintenance and cleaning is essential to guarantee optimum energy yields across the year.
This is where cleaning solar panels may have to be done.
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.
Always remember to push that red button in the rapid shutdown box before going to clean your solar panels.
Check with your solar installers and providers to determine if there is any information about solar panel cleaning recommendations and dos or don ts when it comes to cleaning your system.
The glass is strong but using abrasive materials can scratch the surface of the glass reducing its performance or even damaging.
Your solar panels need to be exposed to sunlight in order to produce power.
It s a good idea to keep track of your energy output before and after a cleaning because that alone can be enough motivation to get your panels cleaned.
Grime and bird poop doesn t need to cover an entire panel to have an effect.
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.
When cleaning solar panels it is essential to use the right cleaning equipment.