Performance: It’s where it all starts
It’s likely you didn’t choose to go solar (or buy a home with solar) for a superficial reason. We believe homeowners that have solar chose it because of its incredible performance value – turning sunlight into electricity. It’s an enticing, romantic and commanding thought. But what happens when that performance starts to taper off? That’s what we want to discuss briefly in this article and why you should consider a solar panel cleaning service.
Understanding the Impact of Dirty Solar Panels
Here we are, in Northeast Florida (Flagler, Volusia, St Johns, Duval Counties). It happens to be one of the fastest growing areas in Florida, if not the whole nation. Like we mentioned above, you didn’t choose solar for how it makes your roof look. You want performance. But here’s the thing, there’s an entire host of items looking to thwart your solar proficiency.
In this area, we face extreme humidity conditions. Humidity = growth. Mold, mildew, algae. And solar panels make for a great surface for those elements to grow on. Flat, unobstructed, and unlikely to be disturbed.
Additionally, you may have heard of the Florida seasons: lovebug, snowbird, and most iconic; pollen season. Often, we have two of those (Spring and Fall) almost as if they are buy one get one free. Pollen season is a major culprit for dirty solar panels. It is lightweight, practically everywhere and loves to accumulate on flat surfaces. The problem with this? Left sitting for too long and it goes from a fluffy dusty to a stubborn caked on “concrete”. Leaving this on for more than a few weeks to months creates a massive headache in trying to revive the surface it landed on.
Benefits of Professional Solar Panel Cleaning
You may be wondering why the lengthy paragraphs about environmental impacts to your solar panels? Well, it is our opinion that cleaning your panels is more than an aesthetic decision – it is practical one too.
Cleaning your solar panels has the ability to provide more energy production. As referenced in this article, a study done by members of Duke University (linked here) shows evidence of clean panels producing up to 35% more efficiently than dirty panels. While the results are definitely depenent on multiple facets, it remains clear that clean panels provide more energy production than dirty panels.
On another note, not only are there production impacts there are also life expectancy effects. Imagine you have a window in your home that you actively chose to never clean. The window becomes opaque in time, the tracks/slides begin to give out, the seals may fail and the glass itself may become brittle. You don’t just lose the effectiveness of looking through the glass at what is beyond, the window is structurally effected. Similar results can occur to dirty panels – the electric connections can begin to fail, the sealant strip around the perimeter can fail leading to failure of the panels and the glass can become brittle with time.
Hence the reason we are in business: to mitigate the effects of solar panel maintenance deficiencies. We are knowledgeable and tedious with our handling of your homes system. We know what to look out for, what to focus on and what to steer clear of. Cleaning your panels may seem like a DIY project, but we urge you to consider hiring a professional for a second opinion.
We’ve said a lot in this article. But if we can leave you with one final thought to sum it all up, here it is:
Cleaning your solar panels is essential and necessary to facilitate the systems highest production capability.
Our Call to Action
Reach out to us today for a free quote for your solar panel cleaning. You can learn more on our website, social media pages or call us directly. We are proud to serve Flagler County, St Johns County and Volusia county (and beyond in special circumstances).
Have a great day!
