Best Way To Clean Solar Panels

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Clean solar panels are efficient solar panels, so you’ll want to make sure your solar panels are free of dirt, dust, debris, grime and bird droppings if you want them to work as effectively as possible. Solar panel cleaning is something that can be done yourself if you insist, so today we’ll take you through the best ways to clean your solar panels effectively.

However, we’d be doing you a disservice if we didn’t point out that solar panel cleaning isn’t for the faint-hearted, especially when those solar panels are on the roof of a commercial building and require fall arrest systems to access…

If you’re not keen on the idea of solar panel cleaning, here at Altus Safety we offer a commercial solar panel cleaning service for a competitive price designed to keep your business’ energy bills down and your solar panels’ output up. Contact our team today for a free quote.

But for the brave and patient amongst you, we’ll take you through the best ways to clean your solar panels below…

Why do panels get so dirty? And why do clean solar panels matter?

Dirt and debris impacting your solar panel system is inevitable – after all they’re exposed to the elements year-round. Solar panels are hardy pieces of tech, but that doesn’t mean they don’t take a bit of a beating from UK weather.

Solar panels can all be impacted by:

Dust and dirt
Traffic pollutants
Pollen
Sap from overhanging trees
Leaves
Bird droppings (especially pigeons who tend to make a home in solar panels when they can)
Moss
Sand and sea spray in coastal areas of the UK

Being outside leaves your solar panels vulnerable to all of these issues – and they are issues. For one, your solar panels need to be clean of dirt and debris in order to produce solar power efficiently. Solar cells in the panels need sunlight to start the electricity generation process. When dirt and debris blocks the sun from getting to those cells, the efficiency of the panels dip, and your solar panel monitoring system will start to display a dip in performance over time.

And the only fix? Cleaning the panels.

Keeping your business energy bills low

From a pure business perspective keeping your solar panels clean means you’ll benefit from lower bills when it comes to powering your business. If your solar panels aren’t able to produce electricity as effectively because they’re dirty, then you’ll need to rely on the National Grid for at least some of your energy.

Every time you have to rely on the Grid for your power, you’re paying more than you need to. Clean your solar panels and you’ll start to notice more efficiency from your panels and lower bills each month.

Why you should clean your solar panels: Key problems with dirty panels

So you know that dirty solar panels will cost you more in bills, but what other problems could you face if your solar panels need cleaning and you neglect them over time?

Corrosion (solar panel damage)	One of the worst things you can do to your solar panels is leave bird droppings on the surface for extended periods of time as this type of matter is technically acidic and can actually lead to corrosion of the surface of the panels. This will damage the solar panels long term and the only fix here would be panel replacement.
Shading spots	Shading stops solar panels from being able to use all of their solar cells to effectively generate electricity. Even just a light layer of dirt and dust is enough to create shading over the cells and can cause a dip in performance.
Hotspots	Most people don’t worry about the temperature of solar panels since they’re designed to be outside all year round. However, when dirt and debris sits on the solar panel’s surface, hotspots can occur. When heat is distributed unevenly across a solar panel, efficiency drops significantly and it can affect the lifespan of the panel over time.
Pest issues	This one is a little like the chicken and the egg. Did the pests (mostly pigeons) come first or the mess they leave behind? Either way, once pigeons have moved in, if you don’t remove the dirt and debris they bring along when they nest beneath your panels, they’ll keep coming back and more and more pigeons will be attracted to the spot.
Moisture problems	Thicker layers of dirt and bird droppings can increase the amount of moisture that your panels hold on to. Solar panels in the UK are angled in such a way that rainwater runs off them naturally to prevent moisture buildup. When moisture is allowed to pool on a panel, damage can occur.

Professional cleaning vs DIY

Hopefully you can now agree that cleaning your solar panels is a must. If you take nothing else from our post today, we want it to be that.

Still, now you have to answer the question about whether solar panel cleaning costs are warranted for your business. Should you pay for professional help like our team at Altus Safety? Or is a DIY approach better?

For most homeowners who are comfortable and confident accessing their solar panels on the roof, DIY is perfectly possible. The actual cleaning of the solar panels is easy enough to do, as we’ll share below, but for commercial premises it’s a bit more difficult.

Most commercial solar panel systems are made up of dozens of individual panels – if not more! Taking the time to access the roof of a commercial building and clean each individual panel is difficult when you have a business to run and employees with other jobs to do.

When you choose to work with our team and have us clean your solar panels for you, finding the time and ensuring you have the right trained personnel and right tools for the job isn’t your problem. Instead, we send out our team of professionals to handle it for you – and all for a competitive price. Find out how much solar panel cleaning costs in our helpful guide.

But if you want to learn how to clean solar panels yourself – or just want to know the general process a member of our panel cleaning team will carry out on site – then read on:

Cleaning equipment for DIY solar panel cleaning

Below is a list of everything you’ll need to effectively clean solar panels:

soft brush
pressure washer
soapy water
sponge or soft cloth
squeegee with a plastic blade

The best way to clean solar panels yourself

To clean your solar panels in a commercial setting you’ll need the right height safety equipment in the first instance, with edge protection, fall arrest systems, and appropriate eyebolts and anchor points to ensure maximum safety.

Always turn off power to your panels before starting the cleaning process!

After that, follow the steps below for the best way to clean solar panels:

1. Brush off debris

Always use a soft brush with soft bristles or else you could risk scratching the panels. Simply remove dust, debris, loose dirt, fallen leaves, etc, with the brush to clear the surface of the solar panels. Be gentle at this point, no need to try and remove everything.

2. Give your panels a gentle spray

Using the pressure washer on the lightest possible setting (think garden hose pipe level of pressure) simply rinse off the solar panel surface.

3. Clean with soapy water

Only ever use a very mild detergent to make up your soapy water. Any harsh chemicals will cause corrosion to your panels and influence their efficiency in a negative way. Always use a sponge or soft cloth to wipe down the surface of the panels.

4. Rinse off the solar panels

Don’t leave the soapy water on the surface for too long or it could leave streaks. Instead use the sponge or cloth to remove the dirt from the surface and then rinse off the solar panels gently with the pressure washer again. Remember, you don’t need a lot of pressure to get the job done here.

5. Remove excess water

Once the panel is rinsed, all that’s left to do is use the squeegee with the soft blade to remove the excess water. You don’t need to worry too much here as solar panels sit at an angle so the water will run off naturally, but it’s better to give them a once over with the squeegee to remove excess.

Why height safety precautions are so important

When cleaning solar panels on roofs, you will need to ensure that anybody accessing the roof to clean them has the relevant training and experience and has access to all the relevant height safety systems and personal protective equipment for working at height.

Height safety regulations make it clear that you’re the duty holder on site if you’re the health and safety manager or owner, and in those regulations you’re responsible for providing a safe way to carry out the work following a thorough working at height risk assessment.

Being extra careful and making sure whoever carries out the work is confident at what they do is key. A lack of confidence could be the cause of an accident.

If you’re in any doubt whatsoever, call in the pros.

How often do solar panels need cleaning?

Solar panels generally only need cleaning once every 12 months, but more frequent cleaning may be necessary if you live by the coast, in the city, or there are trees nearby whose leaves could form a barrier to sunlight if they fall on the panels themselves.

What time of year is best for manual cleaning of solar panels?

Spring is best for cleaning once a year, but if you need to clean them twice a year then once in spring and once in autumn is best when the weather isn’t too hot or too cold.

It’s best to clean your solar panels in spring ahead of the summer months when efficiency will be at its best thanks to the longer days. This puts you in the best situation to capitalise on your own solar energy which will reduce your business bills and carbon footprint at the same time.

Solar panel cleaning costs comparison: DIY vs professional cleaning

Clean panels pay for themselves in more efficiency, so it’s important to remember that. However, we’d be lying if we said that opting for professional cleaning is cheaper. The DIY approach will save you money, but it won’t save you time.

Whatever you decide is best for your commercial site, we’re on hand to help if you need it.

Should I clean solar panels myself or trust the team at Altus Safety?

If we were giving our advice we would always say that professional solar panel cleaning services will give the best results and therefore put your solar panels in the best position to help your business lower its bills and power your business activities. Doing it yourself is trickier, because there are so many solar panels at a commercial site and it takes so much time to do them properly.

Our professional team has received all the training they need and have the experience to ensure your panels are cleaned to the highest standards. We’ll even provide photo evidence of the work completed so you can be reassured of the standards we set ourselves.

Roof mounted panels vs ground level panels

Whilst we would always recommend professional support for those on the roof – as height safety experts we know how dangerous working at height can be – but ground level panels are much easier to reach and do it yourself. Provided you aren’t on a solar farm with hundreds to do, you could probably clean your solar panels in a morning.