How often should I be cleaning my solar panels?

• • #13546 Reply
    
    Sally

    Guest

    Can anybody tell me anything about cleaning the panels once they have been installed?

    How often do you clean them?
    What do you use to clean them, etc?

    I did read elsewhere, you lose a percentage of input energy if they are dirty, any ideas please?

  • #13549 Reply
    
    Mark

    Guest

    Sally, panels are self cleaning it rains that often should just clean themselves. I have come across one problem in all my years and that was when we had the volcanic ash a few years ago.
    The cleaner the better the panel will work.

  • #13551 Reply
    
    Norman

    Guest

    Hi Sally

    Have a read of this. Its from the REC website. Its their quick guide to cleaning panels to ensure best performance.

    Hope it helps.

  • #13556 Reply
    
    Solar Stu

    Guest

    This image shows the lengths investors go, to keep their investment producing at full performance:

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Googleplex_Solar_panels.jpg

    When the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity were only guaranteed to work for 90 days, because they thought the solar panels would be affected by Martian dust. This shows that even NASA knows that dirt and dust on panels affects performance.

    Luckily for interplanetary knowledge, the Martian weather kept the dust to a minimum, but does show that keeping the panels clean does increase output.