Cleaning rooftop solar panel

[Karlton]

Hi all - I was back along the N. Fork Clearwater fly fishing last weekend and the road was quite dusty. I had noticed that the rooftop solar panel had collected a lot of dust, which would reduce efficiency. Given the panels location, it would be somewhat challenging to reach from the side of the truck. What do folks to do wipe off the rooftop solar panels while on the road? I'm thinking of some sort of extendable pole.

Cheers

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I use my extendable windshield squeegee.

 

[alano]

I use my extendable windshield squeegee.

Yup

Alan

 

[Spud]

Does this help???

Solar Panels Don’t Require Maintenance

Despite what solar panel makers may tell you, maintenance of the panels is not a problem once you have them installed. Solar panel manufacturers try to get people to lease solar panels, insisting that then the homeowner won’t have to worry about maintenance. Don’t let this get to you! The only thing you have to do is keep the panels clear of debris, by using a garden hose, out of direct sunlight, a few times a year.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/smart-homeowner/the-7-things-solar-panel-makers-dont-want-you-to-know/view-all/

or this....

How to Clean Solar Panels

1. The first thing you want to do is to check with your solar panel manufacturer. They might have specific recommendations for cleaning.
2. Solar panels can become incredible hot in sunshine. Either clean your solar panels in the morning/afternoon, or pick a relatively cool day.
3. First try if your garden hose alone does the job. If a lot of dust and dirt has accumulated you might need to clean more thoroughly.
4. Fill a bucket or spray bottle with warm water and soap – no other special equipment is needed.
5. Clean the surface of the solar panel with a soft cloth or sponge. You do not have to clean the wiring

http://energyinformative.org/solar-panel-cleaning/

 

[JaSAn]

I use my old etriers (rock climbing webbing ladder) to climb up so I can see what I am doing. Then use a windshield washer/squeege and plain water.

jim

 

[Karlton]

Had not considered the extendable windshield squeegee. Thanks for the tips.

 

[ckent323]

The NREL and industry experts do recommend maintenance of solar systems that includes cleaning off dust as well as other things like bird droppings (they refer to things like dust and bird droppings as "soiling").

The following link has embedded links to a couple of studies and to the NREL “Best Practices in Photovoltaic Systems Operation and Maintenance.”

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/do-solar-panels-need-be-cleaned

Of note:

"the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) as well as researchers from the University of California-San Diego found representative annual PV output losses of approximately 7% due to soiling.

While these reports and studies were written around large PV installations they are still applicable to smaller systems on homes and even RVs and campers.

So some common sense is appropriate here: if the panels look really dirty and on a typical full sun day you are not getting quite as much out of your system as you used to then it may be a good idea to clean the panels.

I like the Victron solar components because they allow me to automatically keep a performance log on the Solar panel/controller system as well as the battery storage system.

 

[smlobx]

When we were driving to our camping spot last weekend a couple in a other car pulled up along side of us and motioned that our vent was flapping. When we got home I got up on a ladder to evaluate it and noticed how dirty the leading edge of the roof and our solar panels were. I was really surprised as we keep the camper in a garage most of the year...
Tomorrow I'll be taking some warm water and mild detergent to gently clean the whole top..

 

[buckland]

It is amazing the difference in output. I have 100% solar on our home and the hay field pollen covers everything. My installer told me to hit with the hose weekly to keep the the rate high.... seems to make sense to do same on camper especially as they are horizontal mount. Sqeegee it is.