Solar Brite

Typical residential installations are averaging 35K - 40K which means it is important to maintain as much efficiency as possible to make the investment worthwhile. US Department of Energy figures show that windborne dust alone can reduce panel efficiency by 7%. When water spotting/streaking, fallen leaves and bird droppings are considered it is not unusual to see annual buildups reducing efficiency by 15 - 25%. When considered against the cost of the installation this drop in output translate into 5,250 - 10,000 dollars of lost value. This figure is easily offset by the reasonable cost of cleaning the panels once or twice a year. Of course these numbers can be much greater when looking at larger commercial installations.

Some would have you believe that an occasional rain storm will effectively clean your solar panels.  Well here in Washington it rains all the time and we still have to regularly wash our cars so that theory doesn't seem to hold water. Industry reports say the lack of scheduled cleanings can cause solar panels to lose 15 - 25% of their efficiency and increase a solar cells pay back time by 3 - 5 years. Self cleaning systems are one option but not only do they present a substantial investment they share one inherent flaw with rain storms - they leave water deposits on solar panels.  These deposits will not be removed with subsequent cleanings with soap and water.After we realize a good cleaning is called for the next step is to choose a product that will not only be safe for solar panels or skylights but will also be safe for the building, the ecology and our families and employees.