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Why is Solar panel cleaning important?
To achieve maximum output from your Solar PV Panels your panels must be kept dirt free.
When the panels get soiled, it leads to a reduction of solar yield. It is therefore imperitive
that they are kept clean.
How much Electricity do Dirty Solar Panels Lose?
Pollution, traffic dust, leaves and even bird droppings contribute to preventing sunlight
from reaching the solar cells in your solar panels. The more dirt – the lower amount of
electricity they will produce. While many factors affect how much electricity your solar
panels will produce – dirty solar panels can be one of the biggest, and easiest to fix.
Experts agree that dirty solar panels don’t produce as much power as clean panels. That loss
may range as high as 25% in some areas according to the National Renewable Energy laboratory.
Individual dealers have reported losses as high as 30% for some customers who failed to ever
clean their panels, potentially loosing out on upto £5 per day on feed in tariff!
The financial impact of a clean solar panel is immediate. More electricity produced by the
solar panels means less pounds billed by the utility company and a direct savings to the owner.
Warning! How NOT to clean solar panels:
Hosing the solar panels down: This will leave hard water spots on the photovoltaic solar
panels, reducing the efficiency. It will not clean the solar panels very well; it just washes
off some of the dirt. You could crack the solar panels if you use cold tap water on the hot solar panels.
Chemicals: using chemicals or detergents could damage the solar panels. It will also leave a residue,
which holds onto dirt, reducing efficiency dramatically.
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