Should You Clean Your Solar Panels Or Not?

As the world moves towards environmental sustainability more and more people are installing solar panels for their homes and offices. There has been a rapid increase in residential solar panel installation. According to a recent study about one million homes in Canada have already installed solar panels.

This shows that people are abandoning the conventional ways of electricity and are shifting to sustainable and environmentally friendly electricity production methods.

Therefore if you have not yet installed solar panels in your home then it is about time that you hire a professional residential solar panel installer and play your part in making this world a better place to live.

Also Read: Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Consider Installing Solar Panels For Your Home

However, know that solar panels require maintenance to some extent. Once you have installed solar panels in your home, you will need to take care of them in order to get the best results. Nevertheless, modern solar panels are designed such that they require minimum maintenance in order to retain their efficiency and electricity production.

One of the questions many people ask is whether solar panels require regular cleaning or not. Although solar panels are usually self-cleaning depending on the area you live in, you might have to clean them every now and then. Moreover, you might have to regularly clean the ground mounts to prevent them from rusting.

Many people believe that keeping their solar panels clean will improve their solar light absorption and create more electricity, but how true is this? To help answer all your questions, we have curated this blog. Keep reading and you will find out whether it is important to keep your solar panels clean or not.

How Do Solar Panels Work?

The majority of solar panels installed on the rooftops of Canadian homes are photovoltaic. These panels are made from the collection of thousands of small photovoltaic cells. These cells consist of two layers of silicon, one layer with positive charge and one layer with a negative charge.

When light particles (photons) hit these cells they displace the electrons from the atoms. These displaced electrons then connect with the metal conductive places located on the sides of the photovoltaic cells and generate electricity.

Should You Clean Your Solar Panels?

Since solar panels are mostly installed on rooftops, they can accumulate a lot of dirt and dust. Dirt, dust, pollen and fallen leaves all can affect the efficiency of your solar panels.

A layer of dirt or grime, when it exceeds a certain limit, can prevent the photons from reaching the silicon in the cells. This hinders their production of electricity. If the layer of dust on your solar panels is rather translucent, you won’t have to worry about it. However, if you cannot see the surface of your solar panels because of the dust, know that it is time to clean them.

In most cases, precipitation will do this job for you. However, if you live in an area that has dry spells throughout the year, you will have to take some extra time out to clean your solar panels every now and then.

However, while cleaning your solar panels, make sure you use a low pressure system that you use to clean glass windows. Also, never use a brush while cleaning a solar panel system, rather use a squeegee or a sponge.

Ask A Professional For Instructions

Solar panels are a huge investment, especially for a homeowner. Who would want to ruin such an expensive item just because they were ignorant? If you feel like you don’t really understand if your solar panels need cleaning or not, talk to a professional solar panel installer.

These professionals understand the weather of the area you live in and based on that, can provide you with the right advice.

There are many other factors based on which you can decide whether your panels need cleaning or not. One of these is the size of the solar panels.

A small solar system under 5KW will not need an extensive cleaning regime but a solar system of about 50KW might need more maintenance. For this, you might even want to hire dedicated personnel.

However, if the following scenarios are met. Contact a professional before you move ahead with the cleaning process:

• The solar panels are damaged and have cracks due to bad weather.
• Solar panels are located in a dangerous position, there is a risk of falling.
• There are bee nests, bird nests, wasps or any other pest on your roof.

About Sundawg Solar

Sundawg Solar is Saskatchewan’s most trusted and reliable solar panel installation company providing durable solar energy solutions. We offer numerous services, including solar solutions for residential, commercial, rural, and off-grid solutions and energy audits. We take care of everything from start to finish and leave no detail unattended. Our job is to ensure that our clients are 100% satisfied with our work. Get in touch with us for more information.