Pollen On Solar Panels

Guest post by roy van cleef new england clean energy technical sales.

Pollen on solar panels.

Most panels eventually experience a build up of dirt and pollen that can block sun from being absorbed by solar cells. 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. Specializing in complete rv solar battery installs pullen solar is for when you need a professional and safe installation on your rv or homestead.

How much electricity you lose depends on how dirty your solar panels are. 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. There are many benefits to solar power. 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.

Google conducted a groundbreaking experiment at their 1 6 mw solar farm in mountain view california. We know that dust dirt pollen bird droppings and other debris can negatively affect solar panel efficiency. 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.

Pollen accumulates on your solar panels hampering their performance. A frequent storm will actually wash the panels of any buildup and help them. If the panels are dirty they absorb less sunlight and generate less electricity. 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.

Often homeowners see a reduction in energy of about 25 percent. In most cases you won t need to clean your solar panels often if at all. Fortunately it s quite easy. Good quality module glass combined with the angle of most rooftops assists with the cleaning process along with rain.

Dirty solar panels do mean power loss. Most solar panel installations will be self cleaning. Using the example of canberra during the month of september the nation s capital has 9 days with rain on average and an average of 50mm of rainfall for the month so any pollen buildup that may occur should be washed. That s kind of the same logic for solar panels too.

A look at pollen s effect on solar panel production.