How to do Solar Panel Cleaning: DIY and Professional Service
If solar panels are not cleaned for 6 months, their productivity can fall by 30%.
Your primary goal while installing a solar system is to save on your electricity bills. However, your return on investment will fall drastically if you fail to clean the solar panels. Solar panel cleaning is one of the most effective ways to make solar panels perform at their peak.
The efficiency of a solar panel depends on how much solar energy it can absorb and convert into electricity.
Not cleaning the solar panels results in the accumulation of dust, debris, and dirt on the solar panels. It reduces solar panels’ transparency and hinders their capacity to absorb sunlight. The opacity of solar panels reduces your savings.
Solar PV panel cleaning ensures sunlight can easily go through the solar panel’s glass and fall on the solar cells. It ensures you generate the maximum savings and get a high return on investment from your solar system.
Cleaning panels is important for solar panel maintenance. If you want to learn more about how to maintain your solar panels, you can read our blog.
Which Things to Use for Cleaning Solar Panels?
Here are some things which are required for cleaning solar panels:
- Solar panel cleaning brush or roller brush
- Telescopic lance
- Cleaning agents such as soap solution
- Soft cloth or sponge
How Often Should You Clean Solar Panels?
Frequent solar module cleaning is a necessity in locations with a lot of dust and pollution. If you live in a place with less pollution, you could afford to clean your solar panels 2 to 4 times a year.
But, dust pollution is a major challenge for solar systems in India. That’s why you must clean solar panels once every month, totalling 10 to 12 cleanings every year.
How to do Solar Panel Cleaning?
Here are the steps you need to follow for cleaning PV panels:
Step 1: Gather the required materials for cleaning the solar panels. It includes a water hose, soap, a soft cloth, a brush or a sponge.
Step 2: Turn your solar system off.
Step 3: Use the water hose and spray on the panels. Keep the pressure of the water moderate. Ensure there is not much difference between the temperature of the water and the panels.
Step 4: Use a spray to apply a cleaning solution to the panels. Soap mixed with water is sufficient for this. You can focus on one section of the panel at a time.
Step 5: Wipe the cleaning solution by using a soft cloth, sponge, or solar panel cleaning brush.
Step 6: Clean the rest of the PV modules by following with the water hose.
Step 7: To clean the cleaning solution, rinse the solar panels again with a soft cloth.
Step 8: To dry the solar panels, use a soft brush, cloth, or sponge to wipe the water.
Read our blogs to get the best results from your solar system:
Types of Solar PV Panel Cleaning
The following methods are used for solar panel cleaning across the world:
1. Manual Cleaning
As the name suggests, manual cleaning involves using equipment such as a brush, sponge and soap water to clean the solar panels. It is especially suitable for residential solar systems. A solar panel cleaning kit contains all the required equipment.
2. Soap-less Brushes and Sponges
US firms such as Bland Company use deionised water for cleaning solar panels, eliminating the need for using soap. Vinegar combined with Hydrogen Peroxide is also used for cleaning solar panels.
To avoid the need for soap and cleaning agents, one can simply use a water hose and sponge for cleaning and wiping the solar panels.
Watch the video below to know about how you can clean solar panel using deionised water:
3. Cleaning with Robots
Robots clean solar panels in large solar parks. We have covered their functioning in the section “How do Robotic Solar Panel Cleaners Work?”.
4. Waterless Vibration
A NASA-funded project led to the development of a technology which vibrates solar panels to clean the dust accumulated on them. It uses a Direct Current motor to create vertical vibrations in the solar panels.
5. Electrostatic Repulsion
6. Nanoparticle Coating
Applying nanoparticle coating on solar panels makes them easier to clean as the coating is resistant to dust. No cleaning solution is required for cleaning such panels.
Tips for Cleaning Solar Panels
Here are some tips you can follow to properly and safely clean your solar panels:
- Read the instruction manual of the solar panel manufacturer on how the solar panels are to be cleaned.
- Gently clean the solar panels. It will ensure that you don’t damage the solar panels.
- Use a mild cleaning solution like liquid surfactant for cleaning the solar panels.
- Have a regular cleaning schedule for cleaning the solar panels. It ensures that solar panels are cleaned before dust and pollution seriously hamper solar power production.
- If you are not confident of being able to properly clean the solar panels, you can contact a solar professional to clean the solar panels.
What Should You Not Do When Cleaning Solar Panels?
Here are the don’ts of cleaning solar panels:
- Avoid using abrasive materials to clean the solar panels. It can lead to scratches and damage to the solar panels.
- Do not use strong chemicals such as bleach to clean the solar panels. It can damage the solar panels. Instead, use a simple soap solution.
- Avoid splashing or spraying water at a high pressure on the solar panels. You must spray water on the solar panels gently to clean the solar panels.
- Do not walk on the solar panels.
- Abstain from applying too much pressure against the solar panels.
- Avoid cleaning the solar panels when they are too hot. The sudden contact with much colder water can damage the solar panels.
- Do not use too hot or too cold water to clean the solar panels.
How do Robotic Solar Panel Cleaners Work?
Large solar parks use automatic robots to clean the solar panels. The robots have dedicated solar modules to generate electricity. They have microfibres which can clean solar panels without using water.
For example, Ecoppia robots are used to clean solar panels such as the Bhadla Solar Park and Kamuthi Solar Parks.
Here’s a video explaining how robots clean solar panels at Bhadla Solar Park:
How Your Solar Plant Location Influences the Need for Solar Panel Cleaning?
The location of your solar panels decides how frequently you need to clean your solar panels. Here’s how the local environment affects the need for solar panel washing:
1. Polluted Areas
If you live in areas with a lot of pollution, the solar panels will be covered by dust. Such places can be near factories, steel plants, roads, and highways.
2. Proximity to Trees and Plants
Proximity to trees and plants increases the chance of leaves and bird droppings falling on top of the solar panels. Thus, it becomes important to clean the panels to remove the leaves.
3. Near to Desert Area
Sand easily accumulates over solar panels installed in deserts. It blocks the light from reaching the solar cells and could damage the panels as well.
Why Should You Call a Professional to Clean Your Solar Panels?
It is recommended to call a professional or a solar panel cleaning company to clean your solar panels. You risk damaging the solar panels while cleaning them yourself. A skilled expert or a solar PV cleaning company will use a special brush to clean solar panels and ensure safe cleaning.
Solar panel cleaning is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a solar system. Not cleaning PV panels for a prolonged period can lead to hotspots which will damage the solar panels. In a dusty country like India, it is best to clean the solar panels at least once a month to ensure maximum efficiency.
At Das Energie Private Limited, we have onboarded the best solar companies to clean solar panels. We have partnered with solar companies throughout India. If you live in Delhi, you can ask a solar company in Delhi to clean your solar system.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the amount of dust, bird droppings, leaves, etc. accumulated on the solar panels.
Yes, it is important to clean solar panels regularly so that they generate electricity at maximum efficiency.
Use a soft brush or cloth to clean the solar panels. You can clean soapy water with a sponge as well.
Though you can clean solar panels yourself, we recommend you hire professionals. It is a safer option for your solar panels.
2 Comments
Martha Anderson
The best blog on solar panel cleaning. Thank you so much!
Anatoly Kozlov
I will clean my solar panels based on your guidance. Thank You!