Pollen On Solar Panels

We know that dust dirt pollen bird droppings and other debris can negatively affect solar panel efficiency.

Pollen on solar panels.

Rain can wash away pollen but if it hasn t rained for a while you ll have to clean your solar panels on your own. Dirt pollen and debris reduce the solar panels ability to perform at full capacity. After all anything that accumulates dirt on them for example dust or pollen will get washed off the next time it rains. A look at pollen s effect on solar panel production.

Guest post by roy van cleef new england clean energy technical sales. Most solar panel installations will be self cleaning. A frequent storm will actually wash the panels of any buildup and help them. Pollen accumulates on your solar panels hampering their performance.

Good quality module glass combined with the angle of most rooftops assists with the cleaning process along with rain. If the panels are dirty they absorb less sunlight and generate less electricity. Why should i clean my solar panels. Even a mild rain rinses off most of the obstructing dirt pollen etc which led them to conclude.

That s kind of the same logic for solar panels too. I generally tell customers that regular rain showers in new england keep solar panels clear of dust and pollen. Fortunately it s quite easy. Most panels eventually experience a build up of dirt and pollen that can block sun from being absorbed by solar cells.

University of san diego researchers looked into this question and concluded that with some exceptions since less than 0 05 percent of energy could be lost per day due to dirt it was not worth the effort or the expense to clean solar panels. How much electricity you lose depends on how dirty your solar panels are. There are many benefits to solar power. Not only do consumers and business get tax relief and or reduce their energy expenses but well maintained systems also produce energy without creating excessive amounts of emissions and waste.

There are some times it might make sense to clean your solar panels though. Often homeowners see a reduction in energy of about 25 percent. Does dirt dust and pollen affect solar energy production. Google conducted a groundbreaking experiment at their 1 6 mw solar farm in mountain view california.

Dirty solar panels do mean power loss.