Yes you have to clean your rooftop solar panels and you have to clean them regularly.
How to wash my 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.
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.
This is where cleaning solar panels may have to be done.
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.
There are some instances where solar panels might need cleaning but most of the evidence says solar panels are self sufficient and low maintenance.
Do you need to wash your solar panels.
One company selling an automated washing system says panels should be washed.
It s a good question and one with a lot of different answers.
In most places there s more pollution in the winter which is why the spring is a good time to do an annual cleaning.
A lot of solar companies will offer this type of service to you for a fee of course.
Solar panels that are cleaned once and twice a year produce 3 5 and 5 1 more electricity respectively than those that are left uncleaned.
How often should i clean my solar panels.
Hire a professional or do it yourself.
Grime and bird poop doesn t need to cover an entire panel to have an effect.
Some say panels need an annual scrub others say quarterly.
But when your solar panels do need a cleaning here s the best safest and the most effective way to do it.