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Maximize Your Solar Investment With Solar Panel Maintenance
Solar Panel Maintenance and Cleaning: Essential Steps for Longevity
Solar panels are a great investment and provide you with clean, cheap, renewable energy. They require minimal maintenance, are built to withstand a variety of extreme weather conditions, and have no moving parts which can be affected by rust or break down. While a solar panel system is mostly self-sufficient, it is generally recommended that you provide your solar panels with light maintenance, to keep your panels operating in top form.
Solar Panels have an average lifespan of 30 years.
You can keep track your panel’s day-to-day performance activity typically through an app or website. However, if you notice your panels efficiency dropping, it may be time for some light maintenance! Here are some of World of Solar’s top tips for ensuring your system keeps generating the highest form of solar energy:
Winter Weather Maintenance
It is advised that general cleaning and maintenance of your solar panels takes place two to four times a year. You may find that as the weather turns grey and the rains arrive, your panels stay clean, especially if they are installed at a tilt, heavy rain may wash away any debris collected on the panels surface. On the other hand, in winter weather, you may find that debris such as leaves, ice or snow could build up on your panels.
Debris
The more frequent rain and damp weather can cause leaves stick to the surface of your panels. During the winter months, if you notice a drop in your energy generated, this may be due to the debris or layers of leaves that could potentially build up, blocking the sun’s rays.
Snow or Ice build up
It is rare that the UK experiences mass snowfall but should snowy weather occur and settle on your panels it is best to get your solar panels cleaned to ensure that any ice or snow layered on your panels aren’t affecting your energy levels.
Summer Maintenance
The wonderful sunny summer weather brings some great advantages for solar panels when it comes to generating solar energy. You will most likely find that your panels generate the most energy due to the prolonged hours of sun exposure, and keeping your panels cleaned and maintained will only help generate even higher amounts of solar energy for your home or business.
Dust or Pollen build up
In the summertime, you may find that as the leaves dry out, they simply slide off your solar panels, particularly if your panels are mounted on a tilted roof, eliminating the need to clear them off your panels. However, the dry weather may also create alternative buildup. You may find that dust or pollen settles on your panels.
If you see a dip in your energy generation, this may be due to a layer of dust or pollen that has built up over time on your panels. Much like the same way leaves can affect build up on your panels, so can dust. The amount of sun absorbed can be reduced due to the soft shading created layers of dust on the panels surface.
Birds
Birds can prove to be a pesky problem for solar panel owners in the UK. During the summer months, the clearer weather can cause birds dropping to occur more frequently on your solar panels, these bird droppings create ‘hard shading’ on solar panels, which create a more solid block for the sun’s rays than soft shading debris such as dust, resulting in a higher decrease in panel performance. Bird droppings also contain high levels of acidity, which can cause damage and erosion to the surface of your solar panels and electrics. It is best to get your panels cleaned if you start to notice a build up!
What other system checks may need maintenance?
While solar panels are built to withstand a variety of weather conditions, they are not 100% indestructible! The UK itself is prone to large amounts of rain and typical bad weather, which can cause issues as your panels are exposed to the elements outside. To ensure your system is continually operating efficiently, it’s advised to have your solar panels serviced at least once every two years.
The inverter of your solar system may also need some maintenance over the years. Ensuring that your inverter is free of dirt, dust, spider webs etc can aid in keeping your solar panel system operating efficiently. The key to keeping your panels at peak performance is to make sure that nothing is blocking the face of the panels and obstructing the sun’s rays. Generally, it is advised that you provide solar panel maintenance two to four times a year.
World of Solar offer all our customers access to our Solar Maintenance and Cleaning Package, to protect our customers investment and ensure our panels keep performing in perfect condition. You can find out more about our maintenance and cleaning package here.
