Professional Solar Panel Cleaning

Rain does not clean solar panels

People assume the rain keeps their panels clean, and in the North West we get enough of it. The problem is what rain leaves behind. Pollen in spring, farm dust in summer if you are anywhere near the fields around Rossendale, the Ribble Valley or the moors above Bolton, traffic film near the M65 and M66, and bird droppings all year. Rain moves the dirt to the bottom edge of the panel and leaves it there as a grey band, and lichen grows along the frames where the water sits. Every bit of it is light that never reaches the cell.

On a typical domestic array the loss builds up gradually, which is why most people do not notice until they compare a sunny week this year with the same week two years ago. Cleaning brings the output back and stops the lichen and droppings damaging the glass and seals over time.

How we clean them

Purified, deionised water fed up a pole to a soft brush. No detergent, no pressure washer, no abrasives, and nobody walking on the array. The pure water lifts the film and rinses clean without leaving a residue, which matters because a residue is exactly what the dirt sticks to next time. We check the panels, the fixings and for nests underneath while we are up there and tell you if anything needs attention. Everything is done from the ground or from our own tower, so there is no scaffold cost.

Manufacturers expect panels to be kept clean and the warranty risk comes from the wrong method: chemicals, high pressure or a hard brush. Ours is the method the panel makers describe.

What we look for while we are up there

A clean is also the only time anyone looks closely at the array. We check for cracked or delaminating glass, loose or corroded fixings, cabling hanging below the panels and nests underneath, and tell you what we found with the photos. Pigeons nesting under panels is the most common problem on the estates in Bury, Bolton and Rochdale, and the droppings they leave on the glass above are the worst thing for output.

How often and when

Once a year is enough for most homes, ideally in spring so the panels go into the long days clean. Twice a year if you are next to farmland, a busy road or a tree the pigeons like. A lot of our customers have the panels done on the same visit as the windows or the roof, and we can put you on an annual reminder so you do not have to think about it.

Commercial solar arrays

We clean roof-mounted and ground-mounted arrays on warehouses, schools, farms and offices across Lancashire and Greater Manchester, with RAMS and before and after photos. A large array is one of the quickest paybacks in commercial cleaning because the loss from dirt is measured in kilowatt hours every day it is left. See our commercial case studies for an example.

Solar panel cleaning cost and where we cover

Price depends on the number of panels, how high they are and the access. Tell us how many panels you have and your postcode for a fixed quote. We cover Rossendale, Burnley, Blackburn, Bury, Bolton, Preston, Rochdale, Oldham and Manchester, and most places between.