Do Rooftop Solar Panels Need Cleaning

In the uk the vast majority of domestic solar panel arrays don t need regular heavy duty cleaning thanks to the high levels of rainfall.

Do rooftop solar panels need cleaning.

Yes you have to clean your rooftop solar panels and you have to clean them regularly. Most manufacturers recommend cleaning at least twice a year. This is because for most homes in australia rainfall is enough to keep solar panels reasonably clean. You can include a solar panel cleaning as part of your spring cleaning routine.

Clean your solar panelson an overcast day early in the morning or in the evening. The best way to clean solar panels is through professional help as of may 31 2020 australia now has more than 2 43 million solar power systems installed across rooftops. Many homeowners opt to clean their own solar panels. According to the clean energy council 2018 also saw a 45 per cent growth in commercial solarpower systems.

Grime will build up but eventually there will be sufficient rain to wash most of it off. In the uk climate solar panels are largely self cleaning and deterioration in pv system output due to dust or dirt is rarely detectable even after 3 years. Consider getting professional solar panel cleaners to do the job. Early morning can be a particularly good time for cleaning as dew that has settled on the panels overnight will likely have softened grime.

At the very least you should do an annual cleaning of your panels. Companies specializing in cleaning solar panels generally say. There are some instances where solar panels might need cleaning but most of the evidence says solar panels are self sufficient and low maintenance. Show extra caution if cleaning your solar panels requires you to climb up on the roof.

We ll get to the best way to clean your solar panels in a minute. The short answer is that it is unlikely to be worth it. This tends to result in a 3 to 5 increase in efficiency. There are some times it might make sense to clean your solar panels though.

Customers often ask us if they should arrange to have their solar panels cleaned. After all anything that accumulates dirt on them for example dust or pollen will get washed off the next time it rains. Clean the surface of the solar panel with a soft cloth or sponge. One company selling an automated washing system says panels should be washed every couple of weeks.

If the sun is beating down on the panels any water used can quickly evaporate and dirt will become smeared. Dirt on solar panels usually has very little effect on their performance. In most cases you won t need to clean your solar panels often if at all.