How To Clean Home Solar Panels

Solar panels are installed in houses to save on electricity costs or store energy in batteries to use during long hours of power outages. Solar panels generate DC (Direct Current) electricity with the help of sunlight, and it is converted into AC (Alternating current) electricity through the use of a solar inverter. Solar power has many types of equipment to be installed in them, such as:

1. Solar Panels
2. Solar Inverter
3. Module mounting structure
4. Cables
5. Junction boxes
6. Balance of system

The most important one among these is the solar panels with a performance warranty of twenty-five years. Every solar panel manufacturing company claims to be the best and provides 25 years warranty to its client. To maintain the solar panels for twenty-five years, you need to take care of the following things:

• The solar panels are not dirty, and accumulated dust on them
• Regular cleaning of solar panels with water
• Monitoring the generation of solar panels
• Avoiding bonfires or firing appliances near the solar panels
• Not standing, sitting or placing any sharp objects on the solar panels

Once you install solar panel system for home, you need to take care of the maintenance and the cleaning of solar panels. In maintenance, we need to do it when needed, but we need to do it regularly to keep the generation at the maximum for the cleaning of solar panels. To understand it in-depth, we need to clarify a few essential things.

How frequently should we clean the solar panels

Cleaning solar panels is one of the essential parts of maintaining them. There is no time frame when we have to clean the solar panels. Every time it gets dirty, or the dirt is accumulated on solar panels, we need to clean them.

In most cases, the dirt on the solar panels reduces the energy-producing capacity below 15 to 20% minimum. Once we clean them, we can see a massive increase in energy generation. There are a few places where we can avoid solar panel cleaning for even one month, but it needs to be done every week in a few places. It entirely depends upon your location of solar panel installation. So, there is no exact date or time frame for cleaning solar panels; it can be done as per the site location of the condition of the site.

How to clean the solar panels

The cleaning of solar panels installed at home requires minimal effort; the amount of energy increased is phenomenal. To clean the solar panels installed at your house, you need to follow these steps:

1. Avoid going too high for cleaning the solar panels
2. Always use safety equipment lines and gears for the same
3. Consider cleaning the solar panels before sunrise or after sunset
4. If planning to wash it in the daytime, you need to turn off the solar system
5. Consider cleaning the solar panels just with water

Once you decide to clean the solar panels on your own, you need to look deeply into the points mentioned above. Always try cleaning your solar as per mentioned above.

Things to keep in mind while cleaning

Once you decide to clean the solar panels, you need to consider a few aspects.

• Clean the solar panels with water
• Never clean the solar panels when the system is ON.
• Use of sponge when needed
• You need to take care while cleaning at heights
• Never use sharp objects to clean the solar panels as they can damage the glass.
• Never sit or stand on the solar panels while cleaning them.
• Always clean the solar panels early in the morning before sunlight or in the late evening after sunset.
• Always check the manufacturer’s policy on maintaining and cleaning the solar panels.

Equipment needed to clean solar panels

It is no rocket science to clean the solar panels installed at your house; we need very few important equipment or tools for the same.

• Water: This is one of the essential requirements for cleaning solar panels. Without water availability, it is tough to clean the solar panels.
• Ladder: If the solar panels are installed at an elevated structure, we need the ladder for standing on height. Always take care of safety while doing this.
• Sponge: Try choosing a soft sponge for the cleaning of solar panels as any hard or sharp object can damage the glass of the solar panels.
• Telescopic Rod: It makes the whole process of cleaning solar panels easy and convenient. With the rod, one can easily reach the ends and height of solar panels. 

When is the expert needed?

• When it is a part of the AMC (Annual Maintenance Contract) offered by your solar company who installed the solar panels for home use, in most cases, these cleaning services are provided to you while installing solar panels.
• When you are not comfortable doing it by yourself, it is very common in the industry, where people avoid climbing heights or are afraid to be injured while cleaning. In such cases, it is common where people tend to appoint professionals to clean the solar panels.
• The solar panels are to be cleaned by professionals and experts when they are completely dirty and have the risk of damage if done by unprofessionals. In most cases, the bird droppings stick to the solar panels and create hard spotting in the solar panels. In the long run, it damages the efficiency of the solar panels