Energy department of Eco Fortis Ltd. has specially gathered a team of qualified professionals for the installation of solar PV systems of independent power supply. Subsequent operation of solar panels suggests the organization of additional services, namely, regular systems maintenance.
The main mistake of solar PV buyers is a belief that solar panels do not need the service. This is the biggest misconception!
One of the main conditions for investment return, spent in solar power construction, is the regular technical maintenance of solar panels and other
elements of the system. An important condition for proper operation and payback of solar power plant is the presence of a specialist responsible for the operation and system monitoring.
Effect of dirt on Solar Panels
Dust on PV solar panels does a lot more than just make them look bad. “[a] dust layer of 4 grams per square meter can decrease PV solar power conversion by 40 percent,”
PV Solar panel cleaning is extremely important to achieve maximum output of a PV solar system. The financial impact of a clean PV solar panel is immediate. More electricity produced by the PV solar panels means less pounds billed by the utility company and a direct savings to the owner. During certain times of the year, when PV solar systems generate the most power, cleaning maintenance is especially important.
Since the life expectancy of PV solar panels is 30 years, regular cleaning is imperative, especially if they are exposed to dusty conditions or close to the sea where salt crystals can accumulate. Additionally the panels may be target to bird droppings which will severely reduce the generating capacity of your PV solar panels.
Cleaning Solar Panels
Why Is Cleaning PV Solar Panels Necessary?
High up on the roof and angled towards the sky and the weather elements, the PV solar panels attract dirt and dust as well as salt and dirt particles left from the rain and wind. Over time a thin layer of dirt and grime will form, which reduces the amount of light reaching the power generating cells of the PV panel beneath the surface of the glass. The effectiveness of the PV solar panel is reduced week on week and the amount of power it generates is significantly lowered. Under the Feed in Tariff (FIT) system the earning power declines by approximately a third.
An example of what your panel would look like if it was not cleaned for 6 months is the same as your car windscreen being neglected for the same period.
How Often Should Solar PV Panels Be Cleaned?
This is of course depends on geographical location of solar plant. The UK is relatively new to the installation of solar PV panels but taking the experience of European countries that have been installing them for many years they estimate the frequency of cleaning should be a minimum of 6 months, and preferably, Every 3 months.
Solar Panel Cleanliness Information
Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Panels are new in the UK but in the USA, Europe and the Middle East their popularity has been rapidly increasing for the past 5 years. The experience and expertise has therefore been extensive in these countries and this has benefitted the UK expansion considerably.
Some of the positive aspects of owning solar PV panels are also the detractor’s with cleanliness being one of them. Having to point them towards the sun also lends itself to encouraging the collection of dirt and grime from the rain, atmosphere and wind. Just consider NOT cleaning your car windscreen for 6 months and you can imagine the result. Every scrap of dirt, dust and grime will detract from the generation of electrical power thereby losing you money.
When standing in your garden looking up at the solar panels they may appear to be clean, just like your windows but get close to them and you will see the grime that has built up from the dirt and pollution in the air. A significantly worse aspect is the “bird droppings” problem, which will completely block out the light and generating power of the cells that the droppings are covering.
Our Methods of Cleaning Solar Panels
Until recently our company has been cleaning solar panels manually. Since the manual cleaning process is quite expensive, solar panels were cleaned only few times a year.
There is also a risk of damage delicate equipment. So we decided to implement automatic machinery and this year we started development of new robots. Have tested various models. And came up with the idea of using dry and wet method of cleaning solar panels in different climatic conditions. These conditions dictated by the geographical location of the power plant, the main thing – the economic feasibility of using this method.
Wet Method:
Dry Method:
Solar PV system Maintanance
Monthly tasks you can do
- Take a generation meter reading and log it on a spreadsheet. Check it is within 10% of last year’s reading
- Look for debris on the panels, such as leaves or bird droppings (one leaf can reduce your system output by 10%)
Annual task you can do (or us)
- Check potential shadowing, prune trees and shrubs as necessary to minimise array shading
Annual task for a professional
- Measure and record DC string voltages
- Measure and record DC string current, normalised for light lux level
- Visually inspect panels for cracks or physical damage
- Visually inspect the system wiring and components for physical damage
- Carry out thermal imaging survey to identify defect on the panels or system wiring and components
- check clamps fixings and solar pv frame for tightness
A manufacturing defect, physical damage, or component deterioration can lead to reduced output, loss of efficiency and localised hot-spots. It is therefore important that your PV system is properly monitored, inspected and maintained to ensure safety, efficient performance and maximum yield. Manufacturing defects such as impurities, gas pockets, or defective bypass diodes or faulty connections or interconnections. Physical damaged to the panels or failing system components such as Inverters, switches, cables or connectors.
If you suspect you system is underperforming, has stopped all together or needs an inspection; we can investigate, diagnose any report any problems found. Using specialist solar testing equipment.
- Increasing the efficiency of solar PV system 30%
- Increasing savings 25%
- Efficiency of array 98%
Clean your Solar PV Electricity Generator
Eco Fortis will provide you with professional Solar PV system maintenance and cleaning services. No matter what size of Solar Electricity Generator you have. We will take of it!
Murat’s Passive Solar House
Copy of article from magazine: ”Youth Techniques” 1993-10, page 5 Solar house stands in meadow near the famous resort town Teberda (in Karachay-Cherkessia).It was built by its owner: Murat Khatukaev, the scientist by profession and a craftsman by vocation, saves on fuel and electricity. Premises are heated by a “warm wall” and illuminated by mirrors system. The system is not too difficult: the light coming through the end wall, is reflected from the mirror placed under an angle of 45 °, and falls down from the ceiling. With regard to the heating system, it- in today’s terms – is the intellectual property of Murat. Silently, he grins, but nobody succeeded yet to unravel the secret. Some “merchants” came from the neighbouring region (after a short message in the local press), they studied construction (just without breaking the walls), did not understand anything and offered him to sell the “know-how”. Khatukaev refused … he is thinking about creating a corporate enterprise. He would gladly sell the ready houses at a reasonable price to those wishing to save on fuel. By the way, even in the most severe frosts the room temperature does not drop below 12°C. Well, for house without a stove is not bad! on the picture: Murat Khatukaev records temperature in the house...
Types of Solar Panels
There are several types of solar panels that are being used by practically everyone right now. This is because of the general trend of people coming up with ingenious methods to harness the sun’s potential and utilize it as a renewable energy source. This bodes well for the future of energy utilization because, let’s face it, these types of solar panels are environmentally friendly, they do not require much tinkering, and they sometimes even work better than traditional panels. However, there are different types of solar panels. Each type has a specific purpose when it comes to different facets of human living, but just as well, all these panels are safe, renewable, and fast becoming popular. Here are a few of the most popular solar panels right now: The first type would be the monocrystalline panels. This type is made from a large silicon crystal, and moreover, this variety is considered to be one of the most efficient types of solar panels in harnessing sunlight and then converting it to electricity. However, it can be costlier than most other types. The reason for its efficiency, relative to other panel types, is because it works better in lower light conditions. Polycrystaline panels, on the other hand, are the most common variety of panel right now. Their appearance resembles shattered glass, but they are generally acknowledged to be less efficient than monocrystalline panels, and less costly to buy. Unlike a mono panel that only has one large siilcon crystal, a polycrystaline panel has numerous silicon crystals that are relatively smaller. Another popular variety is the amorphous panel. This type consists of...
Are We Halfway to Market Dominance for Solar?
Solar is now around 1 percent of global electricity generation. But that might mean we’re further along than you’d think. Solar power is on a tear. Cumulative solar photovoltaic electricity production is about to reach 1 percent of total global electricity production, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. In just a decade, solar power has gone from being a fringe technology for greenies to an almost-mainstream source of power, due to its increasing cost-effectiveness in many countries around the world. This is a remarkable evolution and demonstrates well why CitiGroup recently stated that the “age of renewables” is upon us. I’m going to go even further in this article, however, and argue, as I did recently with respect to electric vehicles, that this 1 percent of global solar penetration is far more important than you might think. Only 1 percent, you say? That’s tiny. But that 1 percent is actually halfway to the goal of market dominance when we consider recent growth rates and the likely growth rate in the future. I’ll explain below. Figure 1: Global Solar PV Capacity, Annual and Cumulative Source: IEA Ray Kurzweil, an American inventor and entrepreneur, formulated what he called the ‘law of accelerating returns’ after having studied numerous technology adoption curves. The classic example concerns computing power: Moore’s law holds that computing power will double about every two years while maintaining the same cost. Sixty years after former Intel CEO Gordon Moore made this observation, the law holds true, though we’re actually doubling now about every year. Kurzweil discovered, however, that Moore’s law is just the latest incarnation of a much longer trend, as the figure...