Tips to Maintain Solar Panel Efficiently

 

Just like any other things, solar panels too need maintenance on a regular basis. By reading this article, you’ll understand some genuine maintenance tips to keep the solar panels in good shape. Here is one strict rule you must follow to keep the state of the solar panel system healthy: do not experiment if you don’t understand things, hire a reliable solar maintenance services provider.

   

Easy Tips to Maintain Solar Panel Efficiently:

• Timely Inspections

Solar panels are prone to damages as they are placed at high locations like rooftops. These high locations are prone to many physical damages or accumulation of waste particles flowing in the air.  By inspecting solar panels regularly helps to get to know about these small damages which helps to stop further and big damages. It is very necessary to inspect panels during uncertain climate changes. 

• Clean Panels

If you think rain water is enough to clean solar panels, you need to think again. Rainwater will rinse off loose dust and dirt but it is not efficient to remove baked in debris and dirt on the panels. Dirty or unclean will decrease the output by 15 to 20% over the time. Following is the checklist for solar panel cleaning: 

• Clean panel with a soft fabric.
• Keep the panel free of dust, snow, leaves, and dust.
• Avoid using detergent-based cleansers.
• To remove oil residue use alcohol and water mixed solution.

• Inspecting Solar Components on Regular Basis 

Solar systems consist of various components such as solar rack system, solar battery, solar panel, inverter. By inspecting it regularly you come to know about damage at a very early stage. While conducting inspection ensure the bolts, wires, and other things are tightened enough.   

• Maintain a Logbook

One of the best ways to keep an eye on the regulation of the solar panels output, keep a logbook. Here you can keep the record of maintenance work including details about cleaning, inspection and component replacements when needed.           

How often do solar panels need maintenance?

Solar panel need low maintenance, generally there are basically three schedules to keep in mind: 

• Annual: In order to check if the system is running smoothly, it is always advisable to hire a solar maintenance services provider. This way you can even identify the smallest of small mistakes and can save tons of time and money.
• Half-yearly: Generally majority of people go for cleaning of solar panels twice in a year. If you are living in an area with heavy rainfall then one cleaning can do the work. But if you are living in an area with less rainfall and heavy snowfall then we recommend you go for two or more services, depending on the requirement.       
• Additional Need: In a certain way, if you feel or observe that solar panels are not working as expected then you may need a professional eye to check things like what went wrong.               

Common Reasons for Wear and Tear 

• One of the major reasons for wear and tear is material degradation due to the presence of UV light exposure.
• Heat plays a major role in degrading the panels. When solar panels are installed under direct sunlight, it will experience degrading performance. 
• Heat, rain, snow, wind and everything else related to weather can take panels on toll. Weather is unpredicted and with it comes the extreme chances of getting impacted through it. 
• Plants, insects and pests can do heavy damage like chewed wires, casting shades on solar panels.   
• Sometimes vandalism can be unintentional. Golf balls and rocks can break the solar panels which can tempered the overall productivity of the system.
• Sometimes with the extreme changes in temperature, electrical devices experience self-heating, shrinking and expanding the temperature change.   

Annual Solar Panel Maintenance Quick Checklist Pointers:

General checklist

• No debris in the inverter pad or anywhere else.
• No roof clogging or water pooling.
• No loose wires in the array.
• There should be no corrosion outside enclosures & racking systems.
• Roof penetration is watertight. 
• There is no ground erosion at the base of the ground mount system. 
• No signs of animal infestation under the array.

Specific Checklist 

Modules

• A good quality brush should be used to prevent glass surface from damage.
• It needs the most preventive measures and maintenance. 
• Cleaning modules should be done in keeping total dissolved solids.

Cabling Connector

• Eliminate the chances of accidental fire by removing the gap between male and female connector pipes.

Transformer

• Transformer should be cleaned every six months.
• IR test and yearly cable check should be done to understand the transformer’s performance. 
• Winding temperature, oil temperature, and operating temperature should be monitored daily.

Inverter 

• There should be regular maintenance or servicing of the inverter based on it, in some areas it needs monthly servicing while in some areas you can do it even in six months.

How to Clean Solar Panels on Your Own?

While you can always hire solar panels maintenance service, there are certain things you can do. Following are some tips to clean solar panels on your own:

• Clean solar panels by removing debris like fallen branches or leaves, cobwebs, etc.
• It is always advisable to clean solar panels on cooler days or before hot days.
• To clean the panel, lightly scrub it with mild soap water to remove all dust and droppings.
• Ensure to clean panels with water only, do not use pressure water as it can damage panels.
• Dry the panels with window wiper or microfiber cloth.

Conclusion

We hope that now you have understood a bit more about solar panel maintenance. If you are looking for a solar panel maintenance and repair service in the UK. Here we have a team of experienced and expert teams who provide the best services in the UK. Why is it taking so long? Book a consultation call with Solar Daddy now.  

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