How To Clean Solar Panels From Snow

Waiting for the snow to melt on its own is the simplest solution for those who own solar panels that are pitched at an angle of at least 35 degrees.

How to clean solar panels from snow.

Heavy snow can limit the amount of energy produced by solar panels but light is still able to move through the snow and forward scattering brings more light to the solar cells than one might expect. The glass is strong but using abrasive materials can scratch the surface of the glass reducing its performance or even damaging the module. Installing your solar panels on a south facing roof not only ensures you ll see the best energy production as the panels face directly towards the sun but snow will also melt faster. Some solar arrays can be installed at steeper angles than others.

The solar panels installed on your home are american made and come with a 30 year warranty with many panels expected to last well beyond that. Some of these have an anti snow feature which can detect snow cover and temporarily increase the temperature of the system in order to melt it. With our innovative solar program homeowners can go solar for 0 up front cost save money on their electric bills and generate their own clean energy. It is important not to use a standard broom shovel or other non specialized tool to remove snow from panels as they can scratch the panel glass and lower your power production.

When cleaning solar panels it is essential to use the right cleaning equipment. If snow persists on your panels you can also invest in tools like a solar panel snow rake which makes it easy to safely remove snow covering on solar panels. In this case snow will melt and run off on its own the steeper it is the faster snow will essentially glide off. Even when solar panels are completely covered by snow they can still generate electricity.

Even though the panels will be covered with snow the dark black and blue will absorb the heat from the sunlight and encourage the snow to melt faster than if your panels were installed on an east or west. Google did a study on the need to clean solar panels. The same study also found that rain is not a satisfying way of cleaning solar panels. They found that cleaning the solar was the number one way to maximize the energy they produce cleaning solar panels that had been in operation for 15 months doubled their output of electricity.

If you are considering a new solar power system you might want to have a look into self cleaning solar cells.