Solar panel washing tool - GIF

[Jon]

Washing solar panels with hose+brush+squeegee in one.



Previously:

Post mower and post washer GIFs
Automatic train washing system - GIF
Cleaning fish with pressure washer - video

[Drew1966]

You NEVER squeegee solar panels as the polycarbonate cover is easy to scratch, compared to glass. This video also does not show the de-ionising filters required to properly wash polycarbonate.

How do I know this?
It’s because I washed windows and solar panels for a living for 20 years.

[Frank S]

Drew1966 is correct just think of who easily your safety glasses are scratched . The same holds true with trying to clean with high pressure spray I've seen a lot of panels damaged when someone contracted a cleaner and they used a 15° nozzle even worst is a zero° if using high pressure washer use at least a 30° preferably a 45°
wet from bottom to top wash from top to bottom. de-ionized water and a very mild wetting agent. Never spray the combiner box some panel systems can have very high voltages

[Drew1966]

Frank S, the best wetting agent, from experience, is ethylene glycol which is purchased as radiotor coolant (yes - the green stuff) but it must be used very sparingly, say 2ml per 10L of water. But, if you’re using de-ionised water you’re better off just using said water and a very soft brush.

[PJs]

Good that you brought this up Jon! Thanks. People forget about this forgotten "little gem of an ROI incentive" when they buy PV systems and generally not told about it by the "Sellers".

Warning:

Now that new houses in California will be required to have PV's installed in the build...Grid tie of course; I do hope the maroon('s) that came up with this new law also invested their hard earned cash in washing services along with their back door deal with PG&E to double down on filling their coffers. May consider designing some equipment for this as an add-on attachment to the system...solar powered of course. I also cherish the idea of climbing a 20' ladder with a long handled brush and squeegee with a hose attached and washing 10-20 panels in gear on a pitched roof twice a year or more so PG&E can pay me...how much per KWh? Really?!? And will we be able to get panels cheaply from the worlds largest supplier (China) with the trade shenanigans going on...starting to give me the DT's (pun intended) and I barely consume alcohol or anything but a daily dose of espresso. Then there is the fiasco of balancing loads on an antiquated system as we are again expected to have rotating outage again this year and "Perhaps" some brown outs, (My Favorite for electronics)....or perhaps another epic fire season that will take 7 months just for reclamation and another 6 for PG&E to put in underground this time in an earthquake zone, then wait 4-6 more for permits to rebuild with the New Solar. Yuuup, that's the ticket! I'm going to design some earthquake proof pull boxes!

Also find it shocking that they use Polycarbonate for the very reasons stated by Frank and Drew1966 and it's not great for UV either, by a long shot...the very thing they are being task for, but probably do pretty well for Hail and the ever present Pterodactyl's caustic supply of polycarbonate etching gifts. A quartz coated polymer like eye glasses would be better and give better transfer to the PV. And with the economy of this new scale would reduce cost quickly as it's used in lots of everyday applications already.

I just hate it when something is shoved down my throat and pulled out my hiney without even asking or putting it out for me to vote on. Who knows maybe Nibiru will crash into us releasing the Beast, before the Chemtrails eat our flesh off to become obedient zombies of our own devices or vices and it won't matter anyway. Welcome to the west coast...and then some. Discernment, People!

Rant complete; only because I ran out of Steam and Coal and the tremors the last few days are playing havoc on the Fracked geothermal site near by.

I'm all in for PV, Wind, Geothermal and all the others, especially localized as a "System". There are some very exciting things in the works (Beta) with new OPV (Organic PV) that will be cheaper, more efficient and uniquely flexible in application. Perhaps Elon Musk's solar venture and some of the other peoples new batteries like; SWB (Salt Water Battery, non toxic of abundant crustal materials) and a new polymer separator for LION (impressively, indestructibly Safe), technology will shed some light on our electronic consumption, as I think these are at least heading in a decent direction...providing the Gubment, and DT's don't get us shaking in our boots and our heads in the sand.

I Know, I Know...Decaf!

PJ

[Frank S]

Pjs the surest way to get me not to do something is to tell me I have to do it
I'm fine with grid tie as long as I can store 3x my daily output for when their grid goes down. The problem arises when they tell me I cannot have my own storage + back up. When their grid goes down I want my system to be UPS ( uninterrupted power supply). But my electric service provider says no also they tell me they will not buy my excess. HUH! You tell me it is perfectly ok for me to set up a grid tie system as long as I do not have my own storage capacity then you tell me you will not buy my excess should there be any? Wheres the incentive for me to install PV in the first place. For that matter I live in a wind area and have enough stuff laying around that I could erect a 25 KW turbine with not too much effort. My stance is PAY ME! if I do, or I won't makes no difference to me.

[ranald]

Good point & I dont think i will use eg on mine as i would have to disconect gutters/ downpipes etc to our rainwater tanks. Campylobactor from starage water is bad enough. Yeah I know there should be better filtration and when you cover "all" filter protection it costs a bomb, other issues eg carbon filtration, & needs space in the line. I've seen ultraviolet filters that "cover it all"= where does it end. I don't want to dig up (again) the whole or even part of the waterline to the house as I have done so in the past and that creates more issues with the pump, its level etc. As the line goes under tanks, concrete and partway within the same trench as power I'll have to put up with occasional cyclone/ depression drenching or diironised water cleaning.I've seen pros cleaning & looks like a soft broom (& deironised water).
Everything seems to lead to other issues to address. Remember when we used Metholated spirits or mineral turps to clean the bugs off the car paint but these "fed" the paint so polish had to be applied afterwards: then silicone was used in polish so the paint couldn't be repaired etc etc.
Thanks! it is all interesting stuff.

[Jon]

Large scale. I still can't figure out how much dirt affects solar panel efficiency.

[Frank S]

Well I can't say for certain, but while I had my array set up I experienced as m,uch as a 30 to 40% reduction in output when the panels got extras dirty but I was located across the street from a company that generated a lot of dust. I washed my panels about once every 2 to 3 months. they would be a little dirtier than the ones in the video.

[mklotz]

I still can't figure out how much dirt affects solar panel efficiency.

This experiment...

https://www.hesolarllc.com/cleaning-dirty-solar-panels/

seems to indicate a two to three percent improvement in output after cleaning.

This somewhat less scientific article...

https://www.popularmechanics.com/sci...f-solar-power/

suggests much larger losses.

My guess is that if you live at a higher latitude where it rains frequently, it's nothing to worry about. Much better to concern yourself with the very poor efficiency of the cells themselves.