Solar Panel Cleaning

Dark Portion on Panels is Morning Condensation

We're taking a break from travel and I thought I'd share a recent experience with our solar panels.

This summer, we've had quite a few fires in Northern California. We noticed that the solar panels on our house and in the neighborhood were covered with a thick layer of gray ash.  A quick look at electricity production from the panels, pre-fire to post-fire, indicated a power production loss of between 17 and 20 percent.

Our solar panel company suggested that winter rain would generally be adequate to remove debris from our panels. However, the ash was heavier than dust and the build-up was considerable.

A local company we have used in the past for window washing and gutter cleaning, Jeff Likes Clean Windows, recently added solar panel cleaning to its work portfolio.  A soft bristle brush, connected to a hose bib, and long pole is used to remove debris from the solar panels. The water flow is gentle rather than a harsh stream of water.  No soap products are used during cleaning - just water. Each solar panel is individually washed and rinsed.

After the solar panel cleaning, we checked our electricity production. Power production was back to pre-fire production rates. We believe the solar panel cleaning was well-worth the cost to remove the ash ($80 - based on number of solar panels).  If we didn't experience the summer fires, we might have skipped the panel cleaning and waited for the winter rain.

After learning of the solar panel cleaning success, one of neighbors engaged Jeff to perform similar solar panel cleaning. They also noticed a 17-20 percent increase of solar power production after the cleaning.