How Often Do you Need to Clean Solar Panels?

How often do you need to clean solar panels? That’s something that most a lot of people with solar installations will find themselves asking after a while. South Africa has been in the grip of load shedding over the past few years. This situation has forced a lot of people to install solar energy systems. With such a system, you should be able to keep going even when there is no electricity. Solar panels are probably the most important element in a solar system. But how often should you clean your panels?

When should I clean my solar panels?

Solar panels should be cleaned after every 6 months or twice a year. That’s particularly the case if you live in an area that’s dusty but that does not get much rain. Most of the dirt that lands on a solar panel gets washed away by the rain. However, there is usually enough grime left over to warrant periodic cleaning.

Why clean solar panels?

That’s the answer to the question, how often do I need to clean my solar panels. Solar panels convert the sun’s energy into electricity. For that to happen, they need to be exposed to the sun as much as is possible.

Anything that blocks the sun’s rays reduces the amount of energy that a panel produces. That’s the reason for cleaning solar panels. All the cells need to be exposed to the sun for maximum efficiency. That cannot happen if the panel dusty and dirty.

Won’t rain clean up my panel?

That’s something that we have already mentioned. Most people believe that their panels can be cleaned by rain alone. That is actually true if you live in an area that gets a lot of rain and if your panels are angled correctly.

But if you live in a place that has scant rain, you will need to occasionally clean your panels to ensure that all the dirt and grime that builds up is removed. Cleaner panels produce a lot more power than dirty ones.

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Summary

In this article, we answered the question, how often do you need to clean your solar panels. We noted that you can do it twice a year. However, how often you clean the panel depends on your location.

In places that get a lot of rain, you don’t need to clean the panels that much. In fact, you could go for years without having to click up onto your roof to do the cleaning. But if you live in a place where rain is scarce, cleaning will need to be often.

Find out how to clean solar panels