Residential solar has exploded in popularity in recent years, and for good reason. A home solar system can save you as much as $30,000 over its lifetime while also helping you reduce your carbon footprint. Plus, with a variety of incentives available in most states, installing solar has become more affordable than ever. But what you may not know is that solar panels often don’t reach their full potential for one reason: They get dirty! Read further to understand how much more you can get out of your solar system by simply keeping your panels properly clean.
Contrary to what many solar companies claim, solar panels are not maintenance-free. As solar panels sit out in the sun, they accumulate dust, get covered in leaves and debris, and unfortunately even collect bird and other animal droppings. This accumulation reduces the panels’ ability to generate electricity, which leads to what are called “soiling losses.” While some debris is more common than others, anything that shades out your solar panels is reducing the amount of electricity you are generating, and in turn the money you are saving. In fact, only a few weeks of debris buildup on your panels can reduce your panels’ efficiency by as much as 30%!
Over the course of a home solar system’s lifetime, soiling losses can amount to more than $20,000! And that’s only on a system that loses 35% efficiency. With a few weeks’ buildup leading to as much as 30% loss in efficiency, you can see how much money dirty solar panels can cost you. Keeping your solar panels clean is a crucial part of generating clean solar electricity, saving money on your electricity bills, and getting a solid return on your investment. While it may sound like a hassle, new technology actually makes cleaning your solar panels easy and affordable.
When it comes to cleaning your solar panels, there are both traditional methods and modern techniques. Traditionally, the owner of the solar system calls a cleaning company, who schedules an appointment that fits into their schedule. When that time comes, the cleaning company visits the solar owner’s property, and climbs onto their roof to clean the solar panels by hand. These traditional practices are dangerous and sometimes lead to damaged panels. Traditional cleaning methods involve abrasives and harmful chemicals, which can damage your panels over time. Plus, there’s the added liability of technicians having to perform a balancing act on your roof. Lastly, most technicians are only available during the day, when solar panels are the hottest. Cold water on hot solar panels creates thermal stress, which can crack the glass on the panels themselves, voiding their warranty.
With an automated cleaning system like RST Nightwash, you can avoid all of these issues. RST Nightwash allows the solar system owner to set a cleaning schedule, and forget about it. RST Nightwash’s automated scheduling ability allows you to clean your panels safely at night. Since the system is hands-off, you also don’t have to worry about anyone climbing around on your roof, over your solar panels, or even falling off. With RST Nightwash’s modern water engineering, only clean, pure water is used to clean your panels, which is a win-win for both your panels and the environment.
As someone who has made the smart choice to go solar, you should be able to reap the full potential of your investment. RST Cleantech’s 100% automated solution eliminates soiling losses and saves you time and money. Increase your system efficiency and improve your return on investment with modern water engineering and hands-off operation.
Ready to learn more? Reach out to RST Cleantech today at info@rstcleantech.com to request a free consultation.
