How to maintain your solar panels?
A solar installation, whether thermal or photovoltaic, must be maintained. Without this, it is less efficient. Although a panel requires little maintenance, thanks in particular to the cleaning effect of rain, it is still highly recommended that the glass surface be cleaned from time to time. Certain precautions should be followed if you wish to do it yourself.
A dirty panel is less efficient than a clean one. The various impurities that can accumulate on it (dust, bird droppings, moss...) reduce its efficiency. Part of the cleaning is done by rain and the self-cleaning protective film present on the panels. However, it is necessary to remove what could not be naturally removed.
How to clean your solar panels?
Depending on its exposure to sources of dirt (trees, sand, pollen, pollution...), a solar panel will need to be cleaned more or less regularly. In general, it is still recommended to do it 1 or 2 times a year.
It is advisable to use demineralized water to wash glass surfaces: hard water leaves white marks that stain the panels and prevent good solar radiation. Also, the use of high-pressure water jets (like Karcher) should be avoided to prevent damaging the seals. The same goes for plastic squeegees that can scratch the glass.
According to current standards, a thermal shock cannot damage a panel if it is in contact with (too) cold water. However, it's better not to take the risk... That's why it's preferable to clean glass surfaces when the sun is not too strong.
The solar panel cleaning market is developing
Some companies offer solar installation owners a cleaning service. This market is growing more and more.
EDF ENR, the leader in photovoltaic solar energy in France, offers to perform this task with a robot mounted on suction cups and remotely controlled by Wifi, the Gekko Solar. Suitable for large and small surfaces, it can clean nearly 400m2 of solar panels per hour. It costs about 1 euro per square meter cleaned.
A technical inspection of the infrastructure is also offered by some companies. It is recommended to do this annually to check the condition of the panels and thus prevent potential breakdowns, or to notice poor optimization of the solar installation's performance.
Source: Energeek