Letting the Sun Still In

We recently had a snowstorm and heavy rains that led me to the question of how does one maintain solar panel performance during winter when solar gain can be impeded by weather issues.

In the Northwest its our grayness that often misleads people to think it rains a lot here when in reality its simply the lack of light and our short periods of daylight that give that impression. Why we are not the sunniest City we do have a strong solar community and no real problems when it comes to maintaining solar gain levels.

However, weather such as snow or long term wind and rain can affect the solar panels and in fact bring damage so they do require some attention. Solar is not maintenance free and most solar installers offer an annual maintenance package to ensure long term performance and when or if one elects to enroll in that option you should find out if it includes those times of extreme weather as it requires special attention to ensure damage, such as cracks, to the panels.

And as solar panels are often on high roofs it requires special care and handling for safety reasons, which is another reason I have frequently said that installing them on an adjacent garage, carport or other low lying structure is a much easier way to simply clean and monitor the panels than risking climbing high ladders and roofs to clean them at any time.

For residential panels, physical maintenance requires a little effort and posing no difficulty. This is because you just need to make sure that the panels are regularly wiped off and cleaned.

Cheap solar panels and home made ones are those that can accumulate dust and dirt easily and should be cautiously protected. Dust can cause blockage of sun rays, therefore decrease the efficiency of your solar panels.

Furthermore, these accumulating elements on the surface of the solar panels can decrease the system’s performance by almost 7% annually.


Cleaning routine will include brushing using a pole routinely to wipe off dirt on the panels. Also, standard garden nozzle and hose is recommended in rinsing the solar panels.

Rinsing must be done in the cool morning. This will avoid drastic changes in the temperature and may further result in damaging the fragile cells.

For rainy seasons, you don't need to exert effort in cleaning the solar panels because the rain will clean it off for you. It is still then recommended that solar panels must be rinsed once a year during peak months of summer.

Also, location is another factor on establishing the cleaning frequency of the solar panels. Developing areas and those with large amount of agriculture requires consistent regular cleaning.

So if you are not sure if your solar panels are performing correctly or are in need of some cleaning/inspection. Contact your installer or licensed roofer to make the necessary inspections and repairs or cleaning that is needed.