Solar panels are generally pretty much self cleaning as natural rainfall will usually wash away the accumulated dust and grime.
Soft wash roof around solar panels.
California based solar installer and maintenance provider bland company never uses a cleaning agent on solar panels instead relying on deionized water and a rotating brush system to wash solar panels.
How to clean solar panels.
Do you need to wash your solar panels.
Some say panels need an annual scrub others say quarterly.
Companies specializing in cleaning solar panels generally say.
If you do decide your solar panels need to be cleaned there are two main ways of doing it.
Fortunately cleaning solar panels is easy for ground mounted systems or for rooftop solar systems on a typical one story house.
A soft household broom is great to use to gently scrub away persistent bird droppings from the solar panels.
How to clean solar panels with water and a soft broom.
Solar panels are generally self cleaning but in particularly dry areas or where panel tilt is minimal dust and other substances such as bird droppings can build up over time and impact on the amount electricity generated by a module.
However if your solar panels are only tilted minimally or you live in a high traffic dry or dusty area or even by the sea then you re going to need to clean your solar panels in order for them to continue generating maximum output of power.
Another great piece of news maybe the best piece of news actually is that removing solar panels to replace roof and re installing them later is not an overly expensive procedure.
There are special washing brooms to buy with telescopic handles.
That way you can more easily avoid having to install uninstall and then reinstall your solar panels.
But if possible it is best to replace your roof before going solar.
One company selling an automated washing system says panels should be washed.
Soaps can leave a film or residue that not only shades panels like the dirt that was just washed off but it can also encourage dirt to stick and build up faster said daniel green bland.
Grime and bird poop doesn t need to cover an entire panel to have an effect.
This is where cleaning solar panels may have to be done.
Aside from the amount of time it takes installing a new roof when you have solar panels is pretty painless.
Hire a professional or do it yourself.
While there obviously is some variation based on the size of the project and the complexity of your initial solar installation the cost to remove and re install your solar panels lies somewhere between 500.
There are some instances where solar panels might need cleaning but most of the evidence says solar panels are self sufficient and low maintenance.
A lot of solar companies will offer this type of service to you for a fee of course.
Olson recommends homeowners use a soft bristle brush with an extended handle like the type used to clean off an rv.
It saves time and is more cost efficient.
It s a good question and one with a lot of different answers.