When it comes to solar power, the best way to increase your return on investment is by regularly cleaning your solar panels. This helps keep your energy production at a high level, and will help you save money on your electricity bill.

 

Many people choose to clean their solar panels themselves using tools like an extendool, rotary solar brushes, and water hoses. This allows them to stay safely on the ground and not have to climb a ladder or roof. However, the process is difficult and time consuming and requires safety precautions to be taken in order to avoid damaging the panels. In addition, it’s important to use a cleaning solution that is specifically formulated for solar panel use. Click the link to get a full article on this.

 

A recent study by MIT graduate student Sreedath Panat and Varanasi showed that a typical commercial solar system can lose its efficiency when dust accumulates on the panels. In fact, the efficiency decline can be as much as 30 percent after just a single month without cleaning. This loss in power output can translate into a $200,000 lost revenue for a 150-megawatt solar installation. The researchers concluded that the most common cause of the drop in performance is simply dust, which can be easily cleared by a quick wipe.

 

Solar energy is a fantastic way to reduce your carbon footprint and increase your power efficiency. But, the sun will eventually fade any surface, and it’s important to schedule regular inspections and cleaning in order to get the most from your solar investment. 

 

Typically, the best time of day to clean solar panels is early in the morning or evening when they are cooler. This minimizes any thermal stress on the photovoltaic cells and glass, which can damage them. In addition, it also minimizes the amount of water that needs to be used, as most commercial solar power plants are located in dry regions where cleaning with pressurized water jets is costly and environmentally hazardous.

 

There are a number of solar panel cleaning solutions on the market that use special coatings or robotic cleaners to remove dust, but these technologies require frequent maintenance and can be expensive. In addition, they can leave streaks and scratches on the surfaces of your solar panels that decrease their performance.

 

In contrast, a new waterless solar panel cleaning system developed by the MIT team uses static electricity to clear dust from the surfaces of the panels. The technology eliminates the need for trucked-in water and prevents corrosive chemicals from contaminating the surfaces of solar panels, which would reduce operational costs, improve overall efficiency and ensure it's functioning optimally.

 

While manual solar panel cleaning will temporarily increase energy output, it’s not a long-term solution. Dirt will build up again in a matter of weeks. To ensure a consistent flow of power, RST CleanTech has developed an automated solar cleaning solution called the RST NightWash(tm), which can be custom-designed to fit the exact needs of a residential or commercial solar array and is easy to operate. Contact us to learn more about how you can take advantage of this innovative technology.