How Homeowners Can Maintain Solar Panels In Their Property

Renewable energy has become an excellent investment as the world shifts toward sustainability and reducing environmental impact, with solar panels as the most popular one in these movements. We have seen how they have lessened our dependence on fossil fuels and helped counter the emissions of greenhouse gases.

Residential solar energy solutions may be expensive, but their numerous benefits help undermine their cost. Solar panels are indeed the energy of the future. This is evident in how they lower your energy costs and contribute to a better planet. 

Therefore, to ensure that they last as long as they can and you get the most value out of your investment, your solar panels will need occasional maintenance after installation. Here are solar panel maintenance tips for homeowners:

1. Call The Expert

If you don’t have the time or don’t want to risk your safety in cleaning and maintaining solar panels, especially those installed on your roof, you can leave the job to the experts. 

The solar contractor who installed your panels may also provide maintenance services. Some may even include it as a bundle or add-on service with your solar panel installation. 

You can ensure that your solar panels are thoroughly cleaned and maintained when you get experts to do the job. They have the right tools and experience needed to clean your solar panels safely and efficiently. These experts can also notice even the smallest of issues on your solar panels, so you can solve them before they become a problem.

For homeowners interested in a more hands-on approach to their renewable energy system, exploring DIY solar panel solutions may be a viable option. You can easily find DIY solar panels for sale online, along with instructional videos and guides to help you with installation and maintenance. Just be sure to do thorough research and consult a professional before diving into any DIY solar projects.

2. Inspect Panels Periodically

Solar panels (ground- or roof-mounted) may be vulnerable to dirt and damage. This can be tree debris or the accumulation of dust from the ground. 

Thus, you must inspect your solar panels periodically to check for damage or dust buildup that reduces their efficiency. You can do this bi-weekly or at least once a month. 

Suppose your area recently experienced extreme weather conditions, such as hailstorms or heavy snowfall. In this case, you should check your solar panels right after the storm for broken glass or other damage. You may contact your solar installer right away to repair or replace your damaged solar panels. 

Aside from checking the panels, you also need to inspect their mounting structure. Ensure you check the bolts, nuts, and joints. Tighten loose parts and inspect for loose, damaged, or disconnected wires that may reduce solar power output and increase the risk of fires and electrocution. 

3. Keep The Panels Clean

You want to keep the panels squeaky clean to ensure maximum energy output from your solar panel. Like your windows, dust and dirt can also accumulate on your solar panels, affecting their efficiency.  

Although occasional rain often takes care of any dust, dirt, and tree material buildup, it’s still a good idea to clean your solar panels at least once a month to prevent these from happening. Typically, you can do light rinsing and use a hose to spray water over your solar panels. 

For more stubborn buildup, or if there are water spots or hard water stains, you can use a soft rag and a non-abrasive cleaner to wash your solar panel. You can also use a baking soda and water solution to remove water stains on your solar panel. 

For difficult-to-reach spots, you should consider investing in long-handled wipers.

4. Take Care Of The Snow

Snow and solar panels don’t go together. With snow covering your solar panels, you won’t get enough energy output for your home. 

Normally, you don’t need to bother yourself with snow buildup often. Solar panels are installed at an angle toward the sun. So, the snow should slide off your panels within a few hours. Besides, in the case of rooftop solar panels, the heat from your home already helps reduce ice buildup.

So, if there’s heavy snowfall or you want to remove ice and snow buildup immediately to absorb solar energies, you can knock the snow off your panels by using long-handled wipers or a leaf blower. 

Don’t shovel the snow off the solar panels because this can result in scratches and damage to the glass panels. You can spray water on your panel to melt thick ice quickly. 

5. Trim Your Trees

Solar panels need to absorb the sun’s rays to provide energy. Thus, if you see a part of your solar panel covered by trees, this will significantly reduce its energy output. 

You don’t have to cut down trees, though. You can trim any tree or plants growing around your home that may be blocking sunlight from reaching your solar panels, ensuring the maximum access possible. 

6. Log Performance 

Most homeowners think of solar panels as a ‘set-it-forget-it’ system. They don’t even bother taking regular performance logs of their solar panels. However, it’s a critical solar panel maintenance task that allows you to monitor the efficiency of your investment. 

Moreover, jot down how many kilowatt-hours were produced each month and take note of any issues with inverters or shading. To have a clear picture of how your energy production fares with your daily consumption, you can use these numbers in the future, thus helping optimize your power usage. 

Although you can do this manually, various digital solar monitoring programs can record and track the necessary data every single day. This allows you to keep an eye on the performance of your solar panels and determine if any of them needs inspection and maintenance. It also checks whether the degradation process is quicker than the warranty states. 

Most monitoring systems you can see in the market today are installed using a mounted display or app, giving you real-time access to information and data on your solar energy system. 

Takeaway

Solar panels are an excellent investment that allows you to reduce your energy cost and carbon footprint in the years to come. Hence, like any device, you need to give your solar panels the utmost care now and then. 

Overall, solar panels are easy to maintain. Refer to the tips in this article to keep up with your solar panel cleaning and maintenance, ensuring maximum efficiency and clean energy.