Why, When, and How Should Solar Panels Be Cleaned?

 

Are you wondering how to get your solar panels cleaned? You must be thinking about a lot of things like why you need to do it, when you should do it, and how to do it and start looking for the top 10 solar companies in Sydney. The first thing you need to do is justify cleaning your solar panels, and you will do so knowing why you need to do so! The way your panels get dirty may vary depending on where you live, but we'll help to give you general information on how to clean them.

Why do solar panels need to be cleaned?

Let's start by saying this: Solar panels are usually self-cleaning. Showers will take care of most of the basic cleaning, but from time to time your panels may need a proper and good wash. Solar panels can collect dust, leaves, and even bird droppings. When things like this build up on your panel, they can affect how much sunlight absorption efficacy, which then eventually affects how much power your system generates. A little dust shouldn't be too bad, but obviously, as much as it builds up over time (if it doesn't rain in your area) it can cause outlet problems. However, leaves and bird droppings are more likely to affect your production than dust.

Now for the leaves and bird droppings. Let's say you live in a house with lots of big trees around it, there will probably be a lot of leaves falling or flying on your panel. Along with the trees also come birds. Being around trees is a double-edged sword when it comes to cleaning your solar panels, there is no way to avoid this. However, they're just one of nature's many gifts, so it simply means you'll need to clean your panels more often than you go crazy over the trees.

If that's not enough to convince you, think of the solar systems in Sydney as any other electrical device, it needs maintenance so that you can get the most out of it for as long as possible.

 

When my solar panels need to be cleaned?

Hopefully, we've agreed that solar panels need to be cleaned from time to time, so now we'll see when is the best time to clean. As we said earlier, showers will usually take care of most of the basic cleaning when it comes to your solar panels. Thus, you can avoid cleaning them in winter, for obvious reasons. However, it is better to clean the solar panels during the colder months. So any time in spring (September to November) or fall (March to May) is usually fine. This is because any cleaning product you use will take longer to dry in colder climates, so extra, unnecessary residue will be less likely to build upon the panels.

 

Cleaning as per location –

Suburbs:

Cleaning done twice a year is enough unless you have large amounts of leaves and bird droppings on your panels.

 

Ongoing Construction area:

If you are in a construction area, you may need to clean the panels more often. The same goes for anyone residing in regional or agricultural areas, as they are more likely to live near things that could make the panels dirty.

 

How should be solar panels cleaned?

 

Any solar retailer in Sydney will recommend you to clean your own solar panels; But until you have experience working safely on roofs, it's in your best interest to clean them from the ground up with a soft brush and a long squeegee. If none of these options suit your circumstances, you can hire a Clean Energy Council-accredited technician to do it. It's helpful to have a certified technician check everything before cleaning the panels, so it may be easier to do it all at once.

 

If you have decided to clean your panel by yourself then there are a few things that you need to do.

●     First, if you are not a roofing safety extraordinaire, remember to stay grounded.

●      Once a technician has checked everything out and let you proceed to clean up, make sure your solar system is completely off.

●     Brush off dust and other loose particles.

●      You can then go over the panels with clean, cold water and your handy brush/squeeze multi-tool before rinsing the panels with a little more water and squeezing them out.

 

Though cleaning solar panels are considered to be a cumbersome task, we at Ozeal have busted all the myths and pointed out the necessary assistance measures required to clean your solar panels.