How To Maintain Solar Panels

Solar Power setups are a big investment. If you want to ensure your long-term benefits, timely maintenance does the job almost perfectly. Be careful with panel circuitry; excessive force (e.g. via water pump) might damage solar cells permanently. To help you with this one, here’s how to maintain solar panels.

Simple Tips | How To Maintain Solar Panels

Keep solar panels out of shade as energy production becomes inefficient. Sunlight is the sole resource for charging these panels, so be advised!
Keep an eye on the solar panels and make sure the inverters are flashing green lights. If they’re not doing that, you are losing money; compensate for your electricity usage!
Document performance to improve maintenance. It is important to note how much energy has been produced at a consistent time every day. We recommend making special note of dates when it’s very cloudy; some results will be inconsistent.
(Get a monitoring system installed!)
Monitoring systems help you see how much you are benefiting the environment and how much CO₂ your setups emits. They can also help determine how much you can expect to benefit from the feed-in tariff scheme (net-metering).
You can install automated cleaners that work like sprinkler systems, or even schedule appointments with a cleaning team.

This is advisable if AND ONLY IF you can’t find enough time to do it yourself.

Solar panels typically come in irremovable assemblies, so you don’t have to worry about any heavy maintenance.

Work Them Muscles

Solar panel cleaning kits come in very handy for cleaning solar panels. Inside a typical DIY kit, you should find a biodegradable soap, wiper, and a brush with an adjustable handle.

Mix the soap in a bucket of water. Dip the brush in it, and gently wipe the panels. You can use plain water or a soft brush to remove any grime or dirt you can find (typically on the edges).

Clean solar panels when they are moist or wet so any dirt or residue could be wiped off easily.
Never use an abrasive sponge or soap for cleaning; this could leave some permanent scratches on the frame. The best way to clean is by using a soft rag or biodegradable soap.
It is important not to use strong substances or chemicals when cleaning solar panels as they could cause damage. Like seriously, dear readers; repairing solar panels is a costly affair!
If you clean often, you might be able to just run a hose along the panels to remove dirt. This could mean ‘fewer appointments on solar panel maintenance’.
For your safety and the safety of others around you, use a long-handled wiper to clean the panels whilst pivoting. The long handle reduces strain on your muscles and reduces cleaning time.
If you must get on the roof, take proper care; once you start cleaning, the roof becomes slippery! You could easily slide off when getting down – so, use safety ropes or a harness for support.
Always watch out for dirt on the solar panels. Lesser the dirt, higher the sunlight absorption rate!

Many people ask ‘do solar panels need cleaning?’ – and, the answer is YES. Depending on the type of assembly you have, your solar panel manufacturer should be able to advise you on this one!

Are you watching closely?

Just a little attention-to-detail reference from The Prestige, don’t worry about it!

Solar panels are a great investment that can provide you with renewable energy for the next 25 years, or more. So, make a pledge – another Prestige reference – to keep your solar panels clean and well maintained, whenever required. All-in-all, maintaining your solar panels is pretty easy.

Just be sure to get a good warranty and good insurance, and can keep your panels free of dirt and debris build-up. Do that, and your panels should continue to operate at peak efficiency!

Well, there you have it! This was all about how to maintain solar panels. If you have any questions, leave a comment in the section provided below.

Good luck!