Solar Panel Cleaning
A solar panel typically consists of solar cells covered by a protective glass coating, and just like your car windshield – the longer it’s outside – the more likely it will get dirty and need to be cleaned.
How much Electricity do Dirty Solar Panels Loose? Experts agree that dirty solar panels may lose as much as 25% in efficiency. Individual dealers have reported losses as high as 30% for some customers who failed to ever clean their panels. Pollution, traffic dust, leaves and even bird droppings contribute to preventing sunlight from reaching the solar cells in your solar panels. |
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How Often Do You Need To Clean Your Solar Panels?
The amount of time between cleans is really dependent on where you live. If you live in a particularly dusty area of the country or where you may be more likely to suffer from bird droppings, you may want to clean your panels once every month. However, for the vast majority of the country, three or four times a year should suffice.
If in doubt, install a monitoring system if you haven’t already and look for sustained periods of poor performance. This will be the biggest indicator that your panels are due for another clean.
The amount of time between cleans is really dependent on where you live. If you live in a particularly dusty area of the country or where you may be more likely to suffer from bird droppings, you may want to clean your panels once every month. However, for the vast majority of the country, three or four times a year should suffice.
If in doubt, install a monitoring system if you haven’t already and look for sustained periods of poor performance. This will be the biggest indicator that your panels are due for another clean.