Clean solar panels produce more energy

Dust and dirt accumulates at the bottom of the panels

Yesterday we conducted our annual clean-up and preventative maintenance inspection. With a year’s worth of dust and grime, our engineering team estimated that washing the panels would gain an extra 3%-5% in energy yield.

Part of our inspection revealed that the safety glass on one of our 330 panels had shattered, most likely due to an errant golf ball that we also found on the roof. Luckily, this had no knock-on effects to the rest of the system as the connections were still working. We’re in the process of getting it replaced.

In all, it took two of our team seven hours to complete the job, and the use of a very long hose!

The shattered safety panel

Preparing the hose with the protection of the safety harness

Cleaning in progress!