How To Clean Solar Panels – Here’s What You’ll Need




It is very important to properly clean and maintain your solar panels to ensure that they continue to work properly. A dirty solar panel may block the sun which can reduce the energy output of your solar panel or cause it to stop working efficiently.

Cleaning and maintaining your solar panels regularly can improve their energy output by 30 percent or more! This article will help you manually clean and maintain your solar panels at home giving you the highest energy output possible.

Materials you will need to clean your solar panel are water, cleaning solution, soft sponge, cloth, or towel, squidgy or similar window cleaning tool (optional). Follow these steps to easily clean and maintain your solar panels.

First you will need to make sure that you can safely access your solar panels. Take extra care with panels located on a roof to ensure that you are properly secured to the roof and can move around safely while cleaning.

Also make sure that you have removed all sticks, leaves, and other debris from your panels. Any debris that has fallen onto or between your panel may cause a malfunction in the panel.

You will want to clean your solar panel as you would a glass window, by coating the surface with water and cleaning solution. This will help to loosen all dirt and grime making removal easier. It is important to mix your cleaning solution with water in this step to minimize solution residue.

The electrical components of your solar panels are protected underneath the surface. This makes them waterproof and safer to clean so wetting them is not a concern. Next use your sponge (squidgy, etc.) to remove all access cleaning solution and dirt using rinsing water when needed. Be careful to avoid streaking while completing this step.

Streaking can leave solution residue behind which can hinder the sunlight much like dirt. It is possible to use an environmentally safe cleaning solution, however, you will want to test it on a transparent glass window first to minimize streaking.

Dark glass surfaces tend to hide streaking, so a clear surface is best. An automatic solar panel cleaning system may be necessary if your panels are in a location that is not easily or safely accessed. These systems are used much like windshield wipers in that they have a cleaning solution hose and mechanical cleaning arm.

These systems may be installed at the same time as your solar panels. Initially it is beneficial to install your panels at a tilt or angel so that they are cleaned naturally by the rain. A solar panel that is installed in a flat position will naturally collect more dirt and debris minimizing your energy output.

Even with panels installed at an angle some debris may accumulate at the corners over time but this does not prove to cause a major disruption in energy output. Using this guide to properly clean and maintain your solar panels will help to ensure that you have the best functioning system possible.

If you are looking for a tool which will make cleaning solar panels on the roof much easier, check out the Mr. Long Arm 1009 Pro Curve Solar Panel Cleaning System Kit from Amazon.com/. Click on the button on the right for more information.

Residential Solar Panel Building Guide

One of the best ways to save money on a residential solar power system is to build your own solar panel. If you are good with hand tools, you can make a Photovoltaic (PV) array for around $150. What you’ll need is a step by step instructional guide.

Read some of the Earth 4 Energy reviews and learn what the top selling DIY solar array ebook on the web has to offer. Also, remember to check out the Earth4Energy download page for more information.

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Maintaining Solar Panels – Clean It And Let The Sun Shines Through



Maintaining the solar panels is of prime importance as a solar panel containing a lot of dirt will not be able to operate efficiently. Hence it is essential to keep the solar panels free of dirt and dust from getting collected.

Dust and the dirt getting collected on top of the solar panel will prevent the sun light from reaching the solar panels. Solar panels have to store the sun light received from the sun without loosing any fraction of the sun light. By properly maintaining the solar panels, the efficiency of the solar panels get increased by 30%.

There are several ways to maintain the cleanliness of the solar panels. The following section details some of the ways in which the solar panels can be kept clean. The main utilities that are required for cleaning include
1) Water.

2) Soft cloth or sponge.

3) Cleaning liquid.

4) Tool for cleaning glasses.

First step involved in the cleaning of the solar panels is the manual cleaning of the surface of the solar panel. The location of the solar panel plays an important part in the cleaning of the solar panels. If the solar panels are located at the roof of the facility, then there should be some provision for the person to reach the roof of the facility.

The person should have a secure provision at the roof so that the cleaning of the solar panel surface can be performed safely. If there is no place for the person to secure, then the person may fall from the roof and get injured. After the person gets a secure point near the solar panel, the cleaning of the solar panel commences.

First the solar glass surface is dipped in water and the cleaning solution to a considerable amount of time. The water and the cleaning liquid combination won’t affect any part using the solar panels, as the glass surface of the solar panels safely insulate the underlying electrical connections from getting wet. After allowing sufficient time for the liquid solution to remove the dirt and the dust from the solar panel surface, the sponge is used to clean the liquid from the solar panel glass surface.

The sponge will remove the liquid along with the dirt from the surface. The person should take sufficient care to ensure that only the required force is applied to remove the dirt and the dust that has collected on top of the surface. When the person applies more force, there are chances of damaging the surface.

Other than this cleaning solution, one can also opt for an environment friendly solution. But the environment friendly solution should be capable of removing the dirt and the dust collected on top of the solar panels. One could also try to test the solution on a plain glass surface before using on the solar panels.

While cleaning the dirt and the dust that have collected on the solar panels, the cleaning person should also remove other debris such as the wooden sticks, leaves and flowers from the neighboring trees. One should also find for these debris in between the solar panels and also on top of the solar panels.

It is always ideal to plan for a periodic cleaning of the solar panels, so that solar plant functions properly and none of the sun light gets lost. In addition to the manual cleaning, there are automatic solar panel cleaning systems that are available in the industry.

These automatic cleaning systems can be used if the solar panels are extremely difficult for the person to reach and clean it manually. These automatic systems are very much similar to the automatic car window wiping systems. This also contains the spray hose and the wiper to clean the solar panels by removing the dust and the dirt that has collected.

There is also a way in which the cleaning of the solar panels happens naturally. In this way, the solar panels are installed at a particular angle relative to the horizontal surface. As the solar panel is tilted, the rain that falls on these panels, washes away any dirt that are present on the panels.

Home DIY Solar Panel Guide

Are you planning to make your own solar panel for your home solar power system? If you are, be sure to check out the Green DIY Energy program.

The program was specially created to teach you step by step how to construct a solar array on a shoestring budget. The instructions are in PDF files and also High Definition (HD) video recordings. Click on the link below and visit Green DIY Energy right now.

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4 Types Of Battery Suitable For Home Solar Power System



There are many diverse types of batteries you can use in conjunction with a home solar power system. All batteries rely on chemical reactions to convert stored chemical energy to electrical energy. The 4 types of battery suitable for solar use are described and contrasted below.

1) Lead Acid Batteries

Lead acid batteries are the most common type of batteries in automobiles. This type of battery relies on the conversion of lead and lead dioxide in a sulfuric acid solution to lead sulfite to release electrons. This reaction can be reversed to recharge the batteries.

Pores in the lead and lead dioxide plates allow greater surface area for the energy-providing reaction, allowing sudden bursts of high current. Although lead acid batteries are less efficient than other forms, they are preferred because they can provide the high amount of current in a short amount of time needed to start a car.

Because automotive batteries should never be highly discharged, they are inappropriate for the powering of home systems, which often require repeated discharges of power. Thus, lead acid batteries are not suitable for residential solar power system

2) Lead Acid Deep Cycle Batteries

In contrast, lead acid deep cycle batteries are designed to have a large amount of their stored power discharged between charging sessions. Their plates are non-porous to allow the battery to withstand deep cycles (up to 80% discharging).

RV marine batteries often do not last as long as other deep cycle batteries. However, they are small and compact, which makes them easy to handle and install. They often come “sealed,” which makes them safer to use indoors. Unfortunately, sealed batteries are sensitive to overcharging, which may shorten their lifespan.

These types of batteries are usually 12-volt, and have varying capacities (up to 100-amp hours). To obtain a larger storage capacity, batteries would need to be attached in parallel, which is less efficient than having a single large battery.

3) Electric Golf Cart Batteries

Golf cart batteries are designed for deep cycles, which give them a longer lifespan and better performance. They are usually lightweight and cheaper per amp hour than RV/marine batteries. They also have the advantage of being less sensitive to overcharging.

Because they are generally 6-volt, while most home systems are 12-volt, they will need to be connected in series, which is more complicated than using a single battery. Because they are not sealed, they need to be stored in a well-ventilated area and occasionally be given water.

Golf cart batteries have too limited amp-hour capacities for use in a large power system. Industrial or stationary batteries are available in 2-volt units, so the appropriate number of units need to be combined. They have very high amp-hour capacities, but are significantly more expensive than other types of battery and very heavy.

Their weight (up to 350 pounds per 2-volt cell) will often require special storage and transportation. Among all, the electric golf cart batteries are the most suitable for home energy system because of its cost and practicality.

4) Nickel Batteries

Nickel batteries use nickel alloy plates (nickel cadmium or nickel iron) instead of lead plates. Unlike lead-acid batteries, these plates are stored in an alkaline (basic) instead of an acidic solution. While excellent for home power use, the cost is significantly higher than that of lead acid batteries.

Nickel allow batteries can last up to fifty years, and require less maintenance, as they can be fully discharged without damage. Unfortunately nickel alloy batteries are more difficult to dispose of than lead-acid batteries.

Home DIY Solar Panel Guide

Are you planning to make your own solar panel for your home solar power system? If you are, be sure to check out the Green DIY Energy program.

The program was specially created to teach you step by step how to construct a solar array on a shoestring budget. The instructions are in PDF files and also High Definition (HD) video recordings. Click on the link below and visit Green DIY Energy right now.

==> Click here to visit Green DIY Energy now!