How Much Maintenance Do Solar Panels Really Need?
This solar article was designed to answer questions about maintaining solar panels on a home. StarAlt Solar was created to help educate homeowners about the benefits of going solar! If you have additional questions, feel free to Contact Us.
If you’re like most homeowners, you view a rooftop full of solar panels as an investment. Naturally then, you’ll want to make sure your solar investment is providing the maximum amount of savings.
Solar power system monitoring can you provide you with the power production and system output data needed to visualize your system’s performance, and keeping your solar panels well-maintained will ensure that those numbers make you happy over time.
For the most part, a solar panel system is pretty maintenance free. However, below we have listed a few suggestions of simple things you can do each month which will allow you to realize the greatest level of savings from your solar panel investment.
Solar Panel Maintenance Tips
1. Keeping Solar Panels Clean
You probably aren’t surprised to hear that cleaner solar panels produce more power than those which are covered in pollen, bird droppings, or other dirty debris. In fact, the team at Google (which installed a 1.6 MW solar power system at their Mountain View headquarters in 2007) published an interesting story about how much less power dirty solar panels produce.
On a carport array where solar panels were installed flat, Google employees cleaned their panels for the first time since they had been installed in 15 months. The result – Power production doubled overnight!
The team then let the solar panels sit untouched for 8 months, and upon their 2nd cleaning, power output increased by 36%! According to the employees, “We found that cleaning these panels is the #1 way to maximize the energy they produce.”
With a second array which was not flat but instead tilted like most home solar panel installations, the team found that nature does a pretty good job washing away debris that could block absorption of sunlight, for the most part.
Related Reading: How often do solar panels need cleaning?
MAINTENANCE TIP: If you can’t see the face of the solar cells on the solar panels, they likely cannot absorb maximum sunlight and thus are not performing in a manner that maximizes your investment.
If your solar panels are installed flat, you’ll want to spend some extra time giving them a good wipe down with a glass cleaner. Something as simple as Windex will work.
And if your solar panels are installed on your roof with a tilt, be conscious of any build-up that Mother Nature does not clear away. If pollen starts to accumulate, for example, just pull out your garden hose and give the solar panels a good spray clean using water. You can probably even do this without using a ladder – just spray them off from the ground.
2. Keeping Solar Panels Un-Shaded
Shading is the biggest enemy which prevents a solar panel from being able to do its job and absorb sunlight. Many times, an initial location on your roof may be deemed proper for a solar panel installation, but over time that same location can become shaded as nearby nature grows.
Partial shading on just a few solar cells can cause a dramatic reduction of power output. Multiply this loss of output from tree limbs (like in the picture above) by 5+ hours of sunlight per day, 30 days per month, 12 months per year, and it’s easy to see that there’s a compounding effect.
MAINTENANCE TIP: Site your solar panel installation where there will be no regular shading. Check growing tree limbs each month, and prune as needed in order to maximize your solar investment.
3. Monitoring Solar Panel Output & Production
Chances are, when your solar panel system was installed it including system monitoring capabilities tied to the inverter or microinverters that were installed. The most common solar system monitoring platforms are from Enphase Energy and SolarEdge.
Keeping track of system output and production is important because, after all, every kWh that you produce is money saved. Problems are easily diagnosed with a monitoring system. Many of these devices will tell you which areas of your solar panel are not functioning properly and need repair.
MAINTENANCE TIP: Monitoring allows solar panel owners access to real-time data to ensure they are maximizing a solar investment. If you currently have system monitoring capabilities, be sure to check it regularly or turn on email notification alerts. If you need monitoring capabilities, reach out to your solar installer and see what options they offer.
Save Money With Solar Panels! 24/7 System Monitoring Included!
At StarAlt Solar, we include system monitoring for all solar customers. Contact Us today to schedule a free solar assessment and find out how much money you could be saving!
