If you are one of the homeowners that made the switch to solar power, welcome to the renewable energy community. It’s a great feeling knowing that your appliances can function on totally clean energy, and the sun isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Now, when you first got the idea of using solar panels, the maintenance probably stuck at the forefront of your brain. And when you started doing shopping, you probably read that maintenance isn’t really necessary. The latter statement is totally correct by the way, but there are some small things you can do to ensure your solar power system remains efficient.
In this article, you are going to learn 5 solar panel maintenance and care tips that can extend the already long life of your system. Which also means you’ll be getting more bang for your buck.
1. Keep Them Clean
When you look at the design of a solar panel, you’ll notice it is pretty straightforward. You get an aluminum frame, and inside the frame is a silicone cell (depending on the type of panel you choose). And covering the silicone cell is a glass panel.
It’s with good reason that clear glass is used as protection, and it’s because it allows the sun’s rays to reach the silicone cell without any interference. However, if the panels start to get dirty, it will influence the efficiency level of the system.
As your first tip, remember to keep the panels clean.
2. The Best Way To Clean The Solar Panels
Now that you know that solar panels need a good cleaning every now and then, it’s time to move onto step no.2, which is the best way to clean a solar panel.
Given that you want the glass sheet to stay as transparent, it is crucial that you only use soft cloths and soaps. Because by scratching the glass, you are creating interference.
You should also be careful when you climb the roof to do the cleaning. Things can get very slippery, especially with all the soap and water.
3. Stay Away From Shade
Even though you don’t want the panels to get too hot, you don’t want them in the shade either. Of course, you don’t want to start cutting down trees in order to put up solar panels, but why not consider trimming them instead?
4. Do Some Monitoring
Along with the panels, you’ll need an inverter. The inverter is responsible for turning the DC energy into AC energy (which you use inside your home), and it also lets you know how much energy is coming from the panels.
So, make sure you understand what the flashing lights mean and keep an eye on them. There is no reason to do anything unless the lights start flashing in ways they shouldn’t.
When you think about it, letting a small issue slide now can turn into an issue of you losing money. One of the reasons you have solar panels is to save on the energy bill, so ensure everything is working properly on a regular basis.
5. Take Note Of Daily Performance
Do yourself a favor and log the performance of your system every day. This will give you a good idea of the efficiency level and how quickly your system is losing it.
Yes, it’s unfortunate that solar equipment loses efficiency over time, but you get a good 20 years out of your solar panels at the very least. And you can extend that period by keeping those panels clean and watching for irregular flashing lights from the inverter.