Over time, dust, dirt and debris can build up on your solar panels. Regularly cleaning them is a sensible thing to do as less sunlight getting through stops the energy-producing magic to occur and reduces the efficiency of them achieve a maximum level of performance.
Here are some tips to help you keep your solar panels in great working condition.
1. Read The Solar Panel Manufacturers Manual
Check the manufactures manual and follow the panel cleaning instructions carefully. They provided recommendation that you must follow to ensure your solar panel manufacturers warranty is not made void by doing non recommended things. They will have details on their recommendations on how and when to clean your solar panels.
2. Think Safety
Where possible, stay off your roof space. At all times keep safe and use and anchor safely a restraining rope on roofs with a steeper incline. If you think there’s an issue with how your solar panels are operating or discover something that needs to be repaired, always call a licensed solar installation expert to attend to its repair.
3. Wash Thoroughly
We cannot emphasis enough that you must follow the manufacturers’ instructions on washing your solar panels. If washing is recommended by them, a garden hose with a high-pressure nozzle is usually enough to wash off the dirt, dust, leaves and sea salt which accumulates on them. Stay safely in a position where you can reach your solar panels with a spray of water. If you can access the panels easily, such as on a flat low level roof, then you can clean them with a bucket of clean water and use of a soft material sponge as shown above.
Alternatively, consult with a solar panel cleaning specialist for a quote to clean them, especially if your solar panels are hard to reach and your safety is at risk.
We also strongly recommend washing the panels in the morning or during cooler cloudy days, as panels can become extremely hot in the sunshine.
4. Look around
Keeping your solar panels clean will not only make your home look cleaner, it will dramatically help your solar panels work more effectively and convert as much of the suns solar energy to energy power for your home. While doing the cleaning, it’s worth looking at where your solar panels and whether the surrounding trees or structures have changed since you had your panels installed. Your solar panels will not be as effective in the shade of trees. Its strongly recommended you trim back any tree branches or vines which are shading your panels from the sun.
5. Monitor The Improvement
Cleaning your solar panels will make a difference to your solar power generation. Check your solar system dashboard to learn how much power your system is generating before you clean them. Then compare this data to the generation in similar weather conditions after you have cleaned them. Your eyes will be opened by the improvement seen and encourage you to keep your panels in top condition and free from obstruction.
6. Specialist Treatment
If a solar panel is no regularly cleaned as recommended by the manufacturer, moss & lichen can make the glass their home and grow over the entire panel if left unchecked.
You can treat and lichen with chemicals or remove it by mechanical means using a steel scraper. Its imperative that you check with the solar panel manufacturer to get their recommendation on the best method to remove it from their panels. Both lichen removal methods can cause serious damage to panels and if used against the manufacturers recommendations will cause their warranty on them to be void.
** Lichen is a combination of algae and fungus and usually has a light, mint-green colour. It doesn’t trap as much water against the surface of the panel as moss, but it can be acidic and do damage.
Professional Help
If you need professional help with repairs or total replacement of your solar power system, we recommend you call iinergy for a quote or advice. You can learn more about them by visiting their website here: https://www.iinergy.com.au