Many questions surface regarding solar panel maintenance. For example, what’s required to ensure your solar panels are working at their maximum efficiency after installation? Does that include wiping away any grime and dust that accumulates? This article answers common questions about maintaining your solar panels to ensure peak performance. Luckily, most residential solar installations require very little upkeep and are relatively low-maintenance.
Do you need to wash your solar panels?
In short, hiring a team to wash your solar panels is not usually worth it. A research study performed at UC San Diego found that unwashed panels only lose an average of 0.05 percent of their efficiency per day (1). Furthermore, depending on your area, the loss of electrical output usually doesn’t outweigh the cost you will accumulate hiring a team to get them clean. The same study done in California, a state known for drought, showed that washing a 5-kW solar system mid-way through summer only equated to a $20 increase in electrical output, (1) while hiring a cleaning crew can cost anywhere from $150 to $300 (2).
How does your system stay clean?
Rain does an excellent job of washing your panels, eliminating the need for a manual wash (3). However, there are a few factors to consider where this is not the case. For example, if you live in an area that experiences dust storms, like Arizona, it may be a good idea to invest in a solar cleaning crew (1). Additionally, if your residence is directly adjacent or downwind from a highway, factory, or high-use agricultural land, your system could benefit from being washed (1). Finally, if your system is installed at an angle of fewer than five degrees, rain has a more challenging time washing away grime (1). This is more common for commercial solar installations that lie on a flat roof than residential systems. Overall, areas with these conditions are rare, and rain is an excellent way to keep your solar panels clean.
What maintenance is required?
Residential solar requires fairly minimal system maintenance once installed. However, it is always a good idea to regularly monitor the output of your system to ensure everything is working correctly. At Solar Pathways, we make this easy by including an online performance monitor with all our installations. Residents can monitor energy output and quickly identify changes in production that may signal a potential issue with your system. This allows homeowners to identify and solve problems quickly, minimizing lost energy from an undiagnosed problem. If you don’t have a monitoring app, you can also check your system manually by looking at your meter. On a sunny day, there should be three green lights moving from right to left; this means that your system is working correctly and supplying electricity to the grid. If the lights are building left to right, then your home is using energy from the grid, which may indicate a problem with your system. Keep in mind this test is best for systems that are designed to cover your entire energy usage. If you installed a system that is smaller than your energy requirements, then your system may be working properly and still require additional energy from the grid.
Best practices at Solar Pathways: critter guard
One long-term risk to solar systems is birds and animals nesting under arrays or chewing wires. At Solar Pathways, we automatically include a critter guard in all our installations as a best practice. This provides a barrier that restricts fauna from getting under your solar panels and causing damage. Additionally, the guard helps prevent leaves, twigs, and debris from accumulating underneath your array. This prevents the buildup of flammable materials that can be compromised by chewed, exposed wires. Using a critter guard reduces this risk and ensures top-notch performance for the life of your system.
Solar Pathways is here to ensure your solar array is working at peak performance. We strive to provide quality service to all of our customers. If you have any questions regarding solar panel maintenance or would like to sign up for a free energy analysis, site survey, or system design, feel free to reach out via email (
sa***@so***********.com
) or phone (970-449-6270).
Author: Brooke Banning
