Solar power energy: How to clean to keep from losing energy

Solar power experts are encouraging Houstonians to clean their panels to avoid losing energy during the upcoming year.

The Lone Star State faced hazy skies in July due to Saharan dust blowing through its regular season. The Saharan dust is described as dust particles lifted from the Sahara Desert that blows through the wind across the Atlantic Ocean towards the Americas, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.

"The Saharan dust particles actually flew all the way from Africa and then came over to Texas," said Harish Krishnamoorthy, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston. "I think it happens once or twice every year."

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Ireland-based marketplace Solar Compare experts are warning thousands of Houston residents with solar panels that the panels can sometimes be covered with pollen, dust and storm residue in the U.S.

Researchers from the University of Jaén in Andalucía, Spain, discovered that a heavy Saharan dust event in March 2022 reduced solar energy production capacity by up to 80 percent, CMO & Solar Panels Expert of Solar Compare Tehbyn Nova said in a statement.

Nova said the Spain findings came from an “extreme event” where even small amounts of dust could prevent 15% to 30% of solar cells from getting sunlight.

California-based company Sunrun Solar, which also has a location in Houston, provided insight into how to clean solar panels in a 2023 blog post.

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The company suggests during manual cleaning with a soft brush connected to a long handle or sponge, eco-friendly soap in a bucket and a hose with a spray nozzle (gentle flow). Before attempting to clean the solar panel, they recommend turning off the system before starting.

For anyone who has solar panels on the roof, Sunrun recommends they get a professional to clean the solar panels. However, if the resident wants to clean the solar panels on the roof themselves, there should be another person present, the company wrote.

Some solar energy companies do not recommend that residents use a pressure washer when cleaning solar panels due to possibly causing damage to the panels’ glass.

Residents can contact local solar panel cleaning companies who specialize in taking off the grime on the panels. Houston area solar panel cleaning companies consist of Luxury Energy Solar, Texas Exterior Cleaning Solutions, CLR Softwash, A&E Solar Penal Cleaning and more.

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Krishnamoorthy said getting Texas solar panels cleaned can range on average between $100-$300. However, the prices can increase depending on the number of panels, where they’ve been installed and the amount of times the panels are due for a scheduled cleaning.

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Small dust particles would be harder to wash off of solar panels by rainwater, according to Krishnamoorthy. Whereas the large particles could come off during the rain or storms, he said.

"So not all types of dust can get washed away by the rain … but the particles that are really tiny, (the person) will probably need to do a more thorough cleaning," he said.

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Tehbyn said that states with pollen during the summer could trap the dust particles on the solar panels, making it harder for the rain to clean it off.

"Come fall, increased storms might seem beneficial, but they can actually exacerbate the problem by creating muddy residues or leaving behind mineral deposits as water evaporates," she said.

Solar Compare experts said solar panels left with dirt over the glass could cause 50% of their energy to be lost. However, Krishnamoorthy said the percentage depends on how long the solar panels were left uncleaned.

If the solar panels if left unclean, the dust and dirt could cover the solar cells which could prevent any sunlight from being absorbed into the installments.

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Krishnamoorthy shared Texans will face some form of residue from pollution on panels, which could build up on solar panels. Mixed with dirt, pollen and/or dust can also combine with pollution. The pollution can cause solar panels to also get dirty.