Unfortunately, by a natural process, over time, the panels acquire a film of dirt. This dirt build-up prevents the panels from maximizing the yield. Solar panels are not self-cleaning. Wind and rain continually deposit dirt, dust and soot particles on solar panels. While rain will wash a certain amount of loose dirt from the panels, stubborn dirt remains behind and builds an ever-increasing opaque barrier to penetration by the sun’s rays. This increases solar light absorption times and lowers efficiency.
It therefore becomes essential, if efficiency is to be maximized, that solar panels are regularly cleaned. And the best way to clean the glass of the panels is with the use of pure water cleaning systems.
Effective water pole systems using pure water are perfect for this purpose. As solar panels are almost always installed on roofs, getting to the panels to clean them can be hazardous and expensive. On the other hand, using a pure water water-pole system means that there is no need to climb on the roof or, worse, use long ladders with the concomitant dangers inherent therein. Even where large installations of panels are installed for professional energy production, the same problems apply.
There are several systems available which allow quick and easy cleaning of panel glass as well as the frames without any spotting or streaks. No chemicals need be used; only pure water. The pure water is produced with a DI (de-ionising) filter using replaceable resin beads which extract all organic matter and mineral salts from the water.
The most popular system incorprates 1.5m long screw-together modular carbon fibre poles. These poles are extremely strong and lightweight reducing the flexibility associated with long, telescopic poles and therefore making such screw-together poles far easier to use.
The threaded joiners are made of aircraft quality aluminium ensuring light weight with durability. In addition, the water entry can be placed high up the pole. It is simply screwed in in the same way as poles are joined. The higher the water entry the less water – and therefore less weight - needs to be carried in the pole system itself.
There is a large range of accessories available that includes a range of goosenecks which permit angles to be created which allow the brush to reach set-back panels which a straight pole would not reach.
Finally a special, extra-soft, non-scratch brush is available, designed specifically for solar panels.
In addition to the screw-together system there are telescopic poles that will reach a height of 65 feet and economy models which are made of fibre-glass or hybrid fibreglass and carbon fibre poles, all telescopic and using clamps to hold each section in place. These are able to reach from the shortest pole at 9ft to the longest pole in this system which can reach 35ft.
