Solar Panels are a very low-maintenance piece of technology, but giving them attention in the form of regular cleaning and maintenance will make they perform at their best and last their full expected lifespan. 

Here we look at the kind of care your solar panels need and why, and how you can ensure they stay in the best condition for 30 plus years.

Anything that blocks or reduces the amount of sunlight reaching your solar panels will cause a drop in their power output.

During the normal course of time, your solar panels can pick up layers of dust or pollen, along with larger impediments such as leaves and bird droppings. The more dirt on the panels, the easier it becomes for more to build up.

Cleaning your solar panels is particularly important if you live in an area which doesn't get much rain. In Ireland, thankfully, rain will provide fairly frequent cleaning. This means that you will likely only need to clean your panels once or twice a year to remove more stubborn dirt.

Cleaning solar panels is not an extremely difficult thing to do as long as you follow some simple steps and make sure that you're using the right type of equipment.

First things first, here's what you need to get started:

Once you have:

Things to avoid in the cleaning process:

You should not use a pressure washer on solar panels under any circumstances, as the high pressure may scratch or damage the panels. This may also void the warranty on the panels if pressure washing does cause damage.

Avoid using any type of cleaning product other than very mild soap when cleaning your solar panels. This is because the cleaning product may cause damage to the coating on the face of the solar panel.

These coatings are designed to be anti-reflective and non-stick. Damaging the coating will reduce the efficiency of the panel and make it easier for dirt to stick to it in the future.

If you aren't sure about cleaning solar panels yourself, especially if it requires getting on the roof, then get a professional to do it. Solar panels are an expensive investment, and you don't want to run the risk of causing damage by cleaning them yourself if it's avoidable.

When looking at cleaning services, you should make sure that the person you're hiring is properly trained and insured. That second part is especially important if they end up causing damage to your solar panels.

You should get a qualified solar installer to inspect your solar panels annually or biannually to ensure that there are no issues developing that could cause serious damage.

Some of the mechanical elements of a solar PV system which should be examined in any inspection include:

As elements of your solar PV system get older they are more likely to have issues you will need to be on the lookout for, even if they've been inspected recently.

Solar inverters will need to be replaced after 10 to 15 years, and solar panels have an expected lifespan of 25 – 30 years.

Depending on the level of work you are getting done at any one time: cleaning, panel inspection, inverter & battery check, solar panel servicing should cost in the region of €100 to €300.

Other factors which will affect the price of your servicing include:

When you get solar panels installed, you should check with your installer if they have any long term service plan which might involve a package deal on cleaning or maintenance inspections.

The simplest thing that someone who has solar panels on their home can do to ensure they don't develop issues is to keep track of things through a solar monitoring system.

There are many apps that allow you to monitor the output from your solar panels and control other devices, such as an inverter or battery.

Keeping an eye on this monitoring system for anything such as an inexplicable drop in power output, or status alerts for your devices, can let you know if issues are developing with the system.