Solar Panel Maintenance

While some dirt is normal, if your solar panels are very dirty (or these days, covered with ash), it may be practical to clean them. Our trained technicians clean the panels and perform a basic check to ensure the system is working. They can also recommend a more thorough inspection and explain why it may be warranted. Avoid window cleaners that dismiss the difference between solar panels and window glass, as they may use soap that can leave residue that reflects, rather than absorbs sunlight. SynergyPower has solar panel cleaing experts on staff.

Many systems have an inverter with a green light indicating that all is well. Check your manual or send us a picture of yours if you have any questions. Of course, many other systems have AC modules or inverters under each panel, a good reason to keep that monitoring active and supervised.

If you are on an annual net metering agreement (NEM) with your utility, expect to create a credit in the summer and likely the opposite in the winter. This assumes your system is designed to eliminate your bill and not just reduce it. Keeping an eye on that monthly utility statement is a great way to make sure you don’t get hit with a massive bill at the end of the solar anniversary.

Tree growth is often overlooked as culprit for your solar underperforming over time. Installers may assume trees will not grow and/or you’ll keep them trimmed. There are even laws in some states ensuring your ‘right to sun access’ once you install solar on your roof, including from neighbors’ trees. Regardless of views on that legislation, it is a factor that’s often overlooked. Few people want to pay for a system inspection only to find out they need to pay someone else to trim their trees in order to restore system performance.

Nearly all PV solar systems today have free monitoring systems. The easiest way to access many of these is to install the app on your smart phone and keep a weekly to monthly eye on it. If it reports an error, contact the installer. Or call us! We can help resolve the issue.

A good install company should explain & provide monitoring of your system’s performance on a monthly basis. A glance at a smart phone app once a month tells you all you need to know. Many customers want to see the instant output of a PV system to determine system performance, but this is unrealistic. Such data requires specialized equipment, which few install companies have. SynergyPower has this apparatus- We can conduct such a test on a clear day at a time when your panels have full sun (no shade).