All About Cleaning Solar Panels

Environment and Solar Energy

Dust and Air pollution Vs Panel performance

Solar panels are effective energy harvesting machines when photons of light strike the solar photovoltaic wafers. Any obstruction in path can severely diminish the energy output of solar panels. Research has found that

Air pollution can decrease solar power output by upto 16%
Air pollutant can deposit on solar panel decreasing efficiency in range 5 to 20 %
Dust particles absorb and scatter sunlight, diminishing the amount of light reaching the solar cells
Uneven dust distribution causes hotspots that further alleviates performance
Dust accumulation can decrease solar panel efficiency by up to 58%
Monocrystalline panels experience a more pronounced energy drop, with reductions ranging from 3.3% to 8% depending on dust type

Dust

Air Pollution

Reduced Panel Performance

Bird Droppings

Obstruction

When to clean Solar Panels

Solar Panels are the first and most important element of solar electricity generation system. As indicated above any cause for decrease in panel energy effeciency must be immediately mitigated. Panel cleaning process must be undertaken

In case of bad weather conditions
To guage physical condition of system
If decrease in energy output is observed
In case of frequent Bird activity

To inspect damage caused by pests or rodents
Depending on type of installation Flat or inclined
As per established schedule

Establish Cleaning Schedule

Its best practice to establish a routine of cleaning your solar panels. An established schedule will prolong solar system life and performance.

Can I Self Clean My Solar system

Cleaning your solar panels is not equivalent to cleaning your home. Panels are an energy producing device that generate electricity and proper safety gear and precautions must be taken to clean the panel. Also panel cleaning and maintenance required specialized equipment and tools that re not readily available in household so let the professionals handle this task.

Empire Solar Cleaning Services

We at Empire Solar have dedicated professionals and state of the art tools and equipment at our disposal to make cleaning process thorough, productive and hassle free. Key aspects of our cleaning services are:

Safety Equipment and Practices

Solar is an important asset and we ensure that proper safety measures are in place to ensure safety of system as well as the professional working at premises.