Solar Panel Maintenance: Tips To Boost Solar Output
Solar Panel Maintenance: Introduction
If you are in the market to purchase a solar panel for your home or business, you will be delighted to know they are effortless to maintain. Furthermore, maintenance, when done correctly, will help preserve the lifespan of solar panels to 25 - 30 years. However, despite the benefit of low maintenance, there are still things that have to be looked into to ensure that solar panels are running at optimum efficiency. The blog will help you answer some common questions regarding solar power maintenance.
Should Solar Panels Need To Be Cleaned?
Generally speaking, NO, solar panels do not need to be cleaned. Rooftop solar panels are positioned at an angle that would naturally clean during rainfall. However, you must clean the solar panels manually during the dry and winter seasons. Therefore, we would highly recommend you to contact a cleaning service rather than a DIY attempt.
How To Maintain Solar Panels?
1. Solar Panel Servicing
To ensure a smooth and efficient running of the Solar PV’s, solar panel servicing is necessary. Ideally, you would want to service your solar panels once a year. What does the process look like? In short, a professional will inspect and conduct checks on the panels and will run tests on the metre and the solar inverter.
2. Always Keep An Eye Out For Potential Debris
It is important that you are regularly checking for debris such as branches, twigs and other obstacles which may be obstructing the solar unit. Moreover, if not appropriately assessed, it could lead to reduced efficiency in solar output.
3. Solar Panel Cleaning
Solar panel cleaning is heavily dependent on seasonal weather. In the summer, you need to make sure that the solar panels are clean from pollen and dust, whereas, during winters, the solar arrays must be clear from snow.Here are some tips and essentials to help you get started with solar panel cleaning:
- Keep away from rigid materials while cleaning the solar panels. It is ideal to use a soft rag and a biodegradable soap when cleaning the solar panels.
- Invest in a solar panel cleaning kit. The kit consists of a series of brushes, a soft rag and a biodegradable soap.
- Always prioritise safety. Make sure to undertake all the safety precautions before cleaning the solar panels.
4. Shading
Our expert technicians will perform a thorough analysis of the property during the installation process to ensure that the solar panels are placed at a location that receives maximum sunlight. However, an increase in the number of trees/buildings in the area over time can result in shading. In such circumstances, it is vital that you either clear off the obstructions or change the location of the solar panels to improve efficiency further.
5. System Monitoring
The next point when it comes to solar panel maintenance is to monitor the systems regularly. System monitoring will include the following:
- Recording, analysing and documenting the energy outputs to calculate the overall production and consumption of solar energy.
- Conduct regular checks on the electrical and physical components such as cables, fuse boxes and breakers.
- Analysing your CO2 emissions.
How To Repair/Replace A Damaged Solar Panel?
Before we move any further, an important point to all who have invested in solar panels is not to be a DIY enthusiast when it comes to solar panel repair/replacement. Always hire a professional. Whether it be for physical damage or a loss in efficiency, warranties are in place to help you out with the cost incurred. We recommend that you research and find out how your solar panels are protected from damage.
Final Verdict
So are solar panels hard to maintain? The answer is NO. However, you need to keep your panels clean from any debris or dust and get insurance and a warranty to cover any future damage to the solar panels.
