New York 
Hiring a Solar Panel Cleaning Company or Buy a Solar Cleaning Kit?
What options do you have when cleaning your solar panels?
There are a couple different options when it comes to cleaning your solar panels and they all serve the purpose of importance of cleaning solar panels, however it is up to you to decide which is right for your system. With all the options you have to clean your solar panels, each option has its place in the wonderful world of renewable energy. If you are a commercial location with 1000’s or even 10’s of 1000’s solar panels, you may want to look at hiring a professional solar panel cleaning company or purchase an automatic cleaning machine or system.
If on the other hand, you have a residential solar panel system with 20-50 solar panels, you want to hire professional solar panel cleaners, purchase a pre-made solar cleaning kit or build your own DIY solar panel cleaning kit. Save money and clean your own solar panels with an easy to create DIY solar panel cleaning kit is a very popular option. All it takes is a few simple tools pieced together and you are on your way to saving money on cleaning your own solar panels at your residential or commercial location. Whatever the choice you make, make it a clean one!
What options do you have for cleaning solar panels?
- Hiring a professional solar panel cleaning company
- Purchasing an automatic solar cleaning machine or system
- Purchasing a solar panel cleaning kit
- Piecing together a DIY solar cleaning kit
Professional Solar Panel Cleaning Company
- Cost: $3 – $10 Per Solar Panel + Travel Time
- Solar System: Commercial & Residential
Solar Panel Cleaning Company
Hiring a professional solar panel cleaning company can be one of the most important aspects of keeping your commercial or residential solar system at peek performance. If you or your company has any large amount of solar panels, this options is probably the best and most important because a professional solar cleaning company will not miss anything. Think of a professional solar cleaning company as your “frequent panel inspector” as they are constantly cleaning, inspecting and checking your solar panels. Not only will a professional solar cleaning check your panels for dirt, bird poo and leaves, they also check the condition of struts, beams, panel connections and much more to ensure peek performance from your solar system. According to Shine Up Solar of San Diego – “By having your solar panels cleaned on a regular basis you can expect to see an increased energy output of 20-66%.” This goes to prove that a professional solar cleaning company is always on a mission to increase your overall performance, by any means necessary. Professional solar cleaning companies also offer services like solar repair, weed abatement aka solar clearing and solar panel maintenance. If you have a commercial location, this is probably your best bet in making sure your solar panel system is not only clean, but is always in proper working condition. Start looking for Solar Panels Cleaners today on the number one resource for commercial and residential solar cleaners.
Automatic Solar Cleaning Machine or System
- Cost: $1000 – $10,000+
- Solar System: Residential & Commercial
Solar Panel Cleaning Options Cleaning System
By not cleaning solar panels on a regular basis, you may be potentially losing 30% + of your peek performance. By deciding to purchase an automatic solar panel cleaning machine or system you may be able to dramatically decrease this loss. Automatic solar cleaning systems and machines are set up and installed on your solar system and then set to automatic timers that will clean your panels on a set time and schedule. Once the cleaning system and machine is set up, it needs no further support or attention aside from filling up soap, water and deionized water filters. For a simple residentail solar system of 30-60 solar panels, you will need to replace the soap and filters once every 6 months. The system is very simple and has a wash cycle and rinse cycle which runs at your choosen intevals of 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, etc. Another benefit of these systems and machines is the risk and liability of manually cleaning is virtually eliminated. The risk of cleaning solar panels may include damaging solar panles, roof shingles, frames, struts and not to mention slipping off a high rise or roof.
Pre-Made Solar Panel Cleaning Kit
- Cost: $300 – $500
- Solar System: Mainly Residential – Small Commercial Systems
Solar Panel Cleaning Options Cleaning Kit
Purchasing a ready made solar panel cleaning kit may be just the option for you if you have the time to clean your own solar panels or if you own a business, you can have your employees clean your solar panels. A solar panel cleaning kit is composed of the simple tools and utilities to get the job done right and safely, however not entirely 100% safe. A pre-made solar panel cleaning kit is great for small systems that may take 3-5 hours to clean and that can be cleaned by 1 – 2 people.
Being that solar panels should be cleaned early in the morning or on an overcast day, it would not make sense to have one to two people with solar cleaning kits cleaning a solar farm all day long. Pre-Made Solar Cleaning Kits are mainly for systems between 20 – 500 solar panels or something that is manageable to be cleaned early in the morning.
What is in a Solar Panel Cleaning Kit?
- Extension Cleaning Pole
- Rubber Squeegee
- Wash Bar
- Microfiber Cleaning Sleeve
- Cleaning Handles
- Water-Fed Extension Pole
- Water-Fed Angle Adaptor
- Water-Fed Cleaning Brush
- Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
- Solar Panel Cleaning Solution (Specialty Soap)
DIY solar cleaning kit
- Cost: $200 – $300
- Solar System: Mainly Residential – Small Commercial Systems
Solar Panel Cleaning Options DIY
Doing it yourself or building your own solar panel cleaning kit is a great option for owners of smaller systems in that you can purchase each item individually from Home Depot or Lowes. The cost of a DIY solar cleaning kit Vs. pre-made solar cleaning kit is that you do not have to pay the brand name mark up. You can also purchase the only items you need to in order to get your specific job done. Your local hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes should have everything you need to create a kit, including Water Fed Extension Poles, Water Fed Cleaning Brushes, Squeegee’s and much more. So lets look at the cost comparison between a DIY Solar Panel Cleaning Kit and the brand name Solar Cleaning Kit.
How Much is a DIY Solar Panel Cleaning Kit?
- Extension Cleaning Pole: $30 – $40
- Rubber Squeegee: $20 -$30
- Wash Bar: $20 -$30
- Microfiber Cleaning Sleeve: $10
- Cleaning Handle: $20 -$30
- Water-Fed Extension Pole: $30 – $40
- Water-Fed Angle Adaptor: $20 -$30
- Water-Fed Cleaning Brush: $30 – $40
- Microfiber Cleaning Cloth: $10
- Solar Panel Cleaning Solution (Specialty Soap): $20 – $50
Total Coast for a DIY Solar Panel Cleaning Kit: $200 – $300
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many different options when it comes to cleaning solar panels and the choice is up to your for your home or business. Whatever option works best for you is the choice you will make, just make sure to keep those solar panels clean and keep your system operating at peek performance!