Is cleaning your solar panels worth it ?
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- Опубліковано 4 тра 2024
- Join me as the sun shines and the shorts make an appearance.
In this video I'm tackling my dirty solar panels and compare generation before and after cleaning.
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In the video I used a simply car washing brush, this was the best thing I had as it's soft enough not to damage the glass.
This is an affiliate link for them on ebay - ebay.us/U1Lcbd (I may earn a small commission at no additional cost) if you were to purchase one - Наука та технологія
Good result. Might the cleaning process using a cold water rinse have cooled the panels down a bit and improved efficiency?
Thanks for the comment Steve, yes I think that would of helped, they do get seriously hot.
Ah, very sound reasoning. Cooling definitely helped.
aside from dirty solar panels, too much heat also reduces the efficiency and lifespan of the solar panels ive never tested if watering the panels will help the temperature issue. i just go with the instructions upon installation to have proper ventilation and it works fine .. try it next time if watering the panels on peak day will give them boost on efficiency :D
I'll try next time they need cleaning 😁
everything must be cleaned even the soul to prevent evil. hihihi
That’s a great job again and it looks like you have the almost perfect roof for safe access. Even if the gains are only marginal, it’s got to be worth doing as the lichen will just take over once it’s got a hold. Will you be doing an update on the battery setup this summer as. I am thinking about doing the same setup as you have. I was surprised that the gains were not as good as you had anticipated. Thanks for the video.
After I had cleaned them i noticed a couple of lichen bits so had to use some chemicals on them, definitely an improvement - the clouds didn't help with the comparing the gains, took the opportunity I got. Well worth getting some, mine have been in for 9 years or so and have paid for themselves 3 x over by now
@@Funeve hi, I have the solar panels but considering the cost of adding batteries. At the moment I am about to add 2.5 kw of additional panels on the south facing roof of garage to add to the east facing 5kw that I already have. (The cheaper option atm for coverage later into the day ) but a battery is possibly for next year.
@@tonyfrewin4822 I did make a video about my battery performance - how much they cost and how much they saved, I think it was something like a 9 year pay back!
I have permission from the DNO to add another 4kw onto my East facing roof, to catch morning sun, so at some point I will get that done☺
@@Funeve that’s probably a good idea. My system is only just over the year so I am getting 15p / unit from Octopus but having worked out the revenue from selling back and adding the saved units at cost price, I think it more or less pays for all my electricity and gas. I have fitted a small heat pump in our main living area so use that when there is some excess power and it is chilly just to save running the central heating.
@03:34 it dropped down to 1917 W
*2917 W
Yes it did drop, because of clouds coming over :(
Your results are meaningless comparing the energy from early morning to probably solar noon, where PV panels peak
You need to review peak energy over a few days before and a few days peak energy after cleaning to get even a rough idea of improvements and take only the max number hopefully when sun was shinning.
I really do think you got improvements but it was no even close to the over 100% your numbers showed, my guess a possible 20% gain
Thanks James, I agree with your comments - the only difficulty at the minute is having consistent sunshine!
@@Funeve Not for me I moved from England to Southern California 50 years ago 🍺
I have a 7.29 kWh in solar panels and got 48kWh today I average 30 for home including a pool and a Model Y the rest I put in the utilities bank for Rainey days
@@jjamespacbell amazing I have 4kw and the best days usually net 20kwh - definitely not envious of your climate and car 👀😄
@@Funeve You have way better pubs though, I do miss those