Cleaning Your Solar Panels

How and When to Clean Your Solar Panels

Cleaning solar panels should be done two to three times a year if you live in the city and three to four times a year if you live in the country.

Excessive dust and dirt build up can lower your output by anywhere from 5-15%! By generating electricity, we are in essence generating money. It only makes sense to keep your solar investment running at an optimum.

Cleaning solar panels can be accomplished in several different ways. What is important to keep in mind is not leaving hard water deposits on the glass.

Do not clean panels in the middle of the day.

The first is to make sure you have soft water and apply water after light scrubbing with a brush.
It is always best to utilize a squeegee after you rinse off the panels.

The second option is to lightly wash off 4-6 panels at a time. Utilizing a product called "Squeegee" window cleaner manufactured by Genlabs.
This product is sold by Clovis Janitorial in Clovis Ca. You simply put one capful in one gallon of warm water. Then use a sheep skin scrubber to apply cleaner & squeege. This product leaves a light sudsy film on the glass that does not evaporate for 5 minutes. Squeegee off and the glass will sparkle! And NO STREAKING!!!

This product is great for cleaning house windows. The glass on a 24 window home can be cleaned in approximately 30 minutes.

Another product "Windex Outdoor Multi-surface" spray is an easy alternative. This product is used to clean two story homes windows and comes in a spray bottle that can direct either water or windex and water as you so choose. Just spray down a few panels with straight water, then apply the Multi surface cleaner along with water. This product has a water softening agent that should not leave any streaks or water stains. After leaving the product on the determined time, just switch back to the rinse option and your done. If the panels are real dirty, you may want to scrub the panels after the Multi Surface has been applied.
As always, if a squeegie is used after the final rinse, your solar panels will sparkle and be both streak and water spot free.

The third way is to hire a cleaning service. $2-$3 per solar panel is average. Some services can go to $5 per panel or more. Be aware that a few of these services are not interested in making a $100, they want to service and maintain your system. Any service or maintenance done by an outside service will usually nullify your solar labor warranty. Always call your solar contractor if you think you have a problem. Remember, your system is warrantied for 10 years!

There are a couple of new options that are making their way onto to the solar panel cleaning scene. I will follow up in the coming months on these new cleaning methods.