Why clean solar panels.
Water cleaning system for solar panels.
Most solar panels are made of silicon and glass.
This mostly applies to flat panel style solar collectors but the advice is relevant for evacuated tube collectors too rainwater will keep the panels clean for the most part but from time to time and in particular during a hot and dusty dry spell you will need to do this yourself.
In an experiment which was conducted over 8 weeks where the researchers allowed dust and debris to accumulate on a few solar panels and recorded the difference in the power output when the panel was totally clean versus the time when dust was settled on them.
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 don t need a lot of fancy equipment to clean your panels.
The power output in week 1 was 1 98 kwh which fell to 1 49 kwh.
Your solar panels need to be exposed to sunlight in order to produce power.
California based solar installer and maintenance provider bland company never uses a cleaning agent on solar panels instead relying on deionized water and a rotating brush system to wash solar panels.
We ll get to the best way to clean your solar panels in a minute.
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.
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.
Most solar panel providers will recommend that you clean your solar panels with water and a hose.
Soaps can leave a film or residue that not only shades panels like the dirt that was just washed off but it can also encourage dirt to stick and build up faster said daniel green bland.