What maintenance do solar panels need?
Maintaining your solar panels is easy, but they must be cleaned regularly and following certain rules, particularly with regard to safety. Economical and resistant, photovoltaic panels must be cleaned on average twice a year, following a few precautions to avoid damaging them.
Why should I maintain my solar panels?
The main reason we install solar panels is to promote energy saving by being able to generate our own electricity. If a panel is dirty, its effectiveness decreases by about 7%. Over time, deposits build up on the panel. Rain and residues carried by the wind obscure the cells, making them less receptive to light. When a cell is obscured, its electrical intensity decreases, which is why you need to maintain your solar panels wisely.
Anyone can clean a panel, it's very easy. It is also very economical because no specific or expensive hardware is required.
How often you clean your solar panels varies depending on your home's location. Fine particles found in pollution, pollen, salt and sand, chimney ash or dead leaves can all potentially decrease your panels' level of performance.
Regularly maintaining photovoltaic panels guarantees their increased efficiency in harvesting energy.
What are the essentials when it comes to solar panel maintenance?
It is relatively simply to maintain solar panels. If you follow some basic rules, you'll be able to do it yourself without having to call on a professional. If it is difficult to reach your panels, hire a maintenance company to clean them. Many of these companies offer affordable packages.
To do it yourself, get a squeegee and some warm or tepid water with a little mild detergent. Spray the panels with the water and run the squeegee over it from top to bottom to remove water and dirt. Use a broom to remove any dead leaves stuck between the panels to improve the flow of rainwater. Be careful not to damage the panels, as a damaged panel will be less efficient. Do not use any chemicals such as a cleaning agent. They are far too abrasive and could cause irreversible damage.
Use water that does not contain limestone. Limestone collects on the cells and forms a thin white film that darkens the panel and prevents the sun's rays from reaching it. The purified water you buy off the shelf is perfect for this type of use.
Caution! Never walk on a panel or use powerful water jets, as this may damage the panels.
Titre
Discover Terreal's solar solutions
When should I clean a photovoltaic solar panel?
Ideally, you should clean your solar panel twice a year. If you can, do this in the spring and autumn.
Looking after your photovoltaic solar panels in the spring will avoid pollen deposition and optimise their yield during the summer months. Similarly, by cleaning the solar panel in autumn, it will be at its maximum capacity during the winter, which is the season that sees the least sunlight.
If you detect a noticeable decrease in your electricity production outside these periods, it may be a sign that your photovoltaic solar panels are obscured and more frequent cleaning will be required. Monitoring performance for any anomalies is the safest way for you to check that your installation is working well.
Similarly, take a look at your panels. If they are covered with leaves or dirt, just remove them.
Clean your solar panel in the morning. Photovoltaic solar panels do not like thermal shocks. They can reach 60°C at the end of the day! You could burn yourself and the difference in temperature between the water and the heat of the panel could damage it.
Focus on
What is the service life of a photovoltaic panel?
If a solar panel is properly maintained and regularly cleaned, a photovoltaic solar panel can last 30 to 40 years. While there is generally a very slight drop in yield after 25 years, it is still entirely possible to continue to use it for many years to come. And even then its efficiency will decrease by only about 15%, making it a very significant source of energy.
Solar panels are very robust and designed to withstand all weathers
What's more, photovoltaic solar panels are more than 90% recyclable, promoting a circular economy.
You may also be interested in these articles
Follow us on our social networks
Worldwide
