Solar Panels

Solar Panels capture the suns rays and turns it into electricity, but when they start to build up a layer of dust and dirt on them it makes them less effective.
On residential properties when we clean solar panels we often see an increase of up to 21% in efficiency!

Solar panel salesmen will tell you that solar panels are self cleaning and that rainwater can and will keep them clean, this is not all that true, and rainwater alone will not clean your panels, in an area where there is lots of trees it can send them green, or in an area that is windier or areas that have high traffic they often get more dustier not forgetting that birds can leave it in a right mess they will need more attention then in places where they tend to be a bit cleaner.

The best time of year to get them cleaned, in the UK is in the spring just before summer where you will get the most out of them when we have more sunshine.
We recommend that you get them cleaned once a year to get the most out of them but to keep them in tip top condition ideally we recommend getting them cleaned in spring and autumn.

Some Solar Panel installation firms require that solar panels get cleaned on a regular basis to keep up the warranty, if you do not have proof of regular cleaning your solar panels may not be covered by a warranty.

*Why rain water alone will not clean your solar panels?

A good way to illustrate why rainwater alone will not clean your solar panels is when you see your car windscreen and how dirty that can get.
If left alone for a year and not touched, how much visibility would you lose? If left, the dirt on your windscreen would accumulate and eventually “green” over with algae.
Even when the car is rained on, the rain contains airborne dust particles, that settle and attach to the surface, then the rain evaporates leaving a film of dust on your windscreen.
When we use wipers on our windscreen it cleans the centre but not round the edges where it can’t reach, it leaves a film of dirt on the windscreen, that film of dirt is exactly the same on your solar panel leaving it with less visibility and then that in turn produces less electricity due to loss of light entering it.
This is why it is very important to get them solar panels cleaned to maximise the efficiency of them and to maximise your financial reward from them!