3 Useful Tips to Take Care of Your Solar Panels
Once you get solar panels instead, they work so well that you hardly remember that they are your assets too and need attention, at least a little. Here the problem may arise. Although the system is silent (perhaps except the sound of inverter) and operates without needing to touch them, it certainly needs some level of upkeep. Here are a few useful tips.
1. Keep Your Solar Panels Clean
The cleaner the glass on your solar panel, the more unhindered surface the sun gets to work upon. However, remember that you shouldn’t leave scratches on the glass, but just should clean it; so, don’t use an abrasive soap or sponge. Now, once you get something like commercial solar power Perth, how to clean the surface of the panels and how often? A wash rag and a soft biodegradable soap or a pool skimmer with a soft cloth at its end can work well.
The frequency of cleaning depends on where you live. If you live in a windy area, the air around your home is full of particulates or there is a lot of construction going on around your house, you’ll need to clean more frequently. Some areas may need a wash every week, whereas some others can be good with monthly washing. Make sure you keep an eye on the panels and if they look dusty, clean them.
2. Keep Shade Away
Make sure there are no new shades that were not present when you installed the system. It’s not a good idea to cut down a tree; but you can certainly trim it back. Shade on solar panels has an exponentially bad effect. Thus if 1/4th part of your panel is shaded, you can lose more than half the output.
3. Monitor Day-to-day Performance
If possible, jot down what your system produces every day (at around the same time). Earmark days that are specifically cloudy because they will discard your results and don’t indicate that the system has a problem. Maintaining such a record will help you find whether your system is working properly or not, or is not producing what it previously did. If you find this too hard or time-consuming, don’t worry. There are monitoring systems out there in various formats that indicate readings on a panel set inside your house or enable you to design a website for your solar data or download data to your computer.
Maintain your solar panels with the above tips and they will work for you for years to come.
