Solar Panel Mistakes! Cleaning And Cooling Output Tests!
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- Опубликовано: 11 апр 2024
- Solar panels benefit greatly from cooling, cleaning and proper mounting. We test and discuss some of that in this episode. #solar #solarpanels #offgrid #offgridpower
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I think most people think solar panels are zero maintenance, but as you just demonstrated they are not. If you want their full potential. Good job! Andrew
Almost anything in life seems to require some maintenance.
Yes it is necessary to do solar panel maintenance. This can guarantee the life of the solar panel.
Another good thing about roof mount, is it generally keeps a little of the sun's heat off the roof. But ya, lots of downsides too.
I have a cleaning business so I keep a squeegee out by my panel racks. Around 7 am before I go to work I run my squeegee right across them. In Florida we get a lot of dew in the am which is great because its pure water. No worries about hard water build up. Takes 5 minutes.
I also have a squeegee and thought about using it.
Cleaning on time is a good habit, please keep it.
I put armor shield ceramic coating on my panels nothing sticks to them the slightest breeze balls off any poem it's amazing a little bit expensive but well worth it
@@kurtzxcvb3481 Great ideal
Hello,
You are 100% right about cleaning and cooling. I clean my PV every 3 weeks.
Here, in Thailand we have very high temperature (35 to 45°C).
So, i installed a gardening sprinklers system on my PV combined with a programming watering tap. It costs almost nothing but gives 15% more production.
Nice!
spraying water mid-day, isn't it dangerous for your panel glass? they could get heat shock and break
@@kenalv
No risk. The water is not cold and it is sprayed like vaporizing not running water
It also helps me when i have to clean my solar panels
Tech Ingredients here on YT did a big series on the benefits of cooling your solar panels....totally worth the watch
Good information Andrew. Thank you
Great video. Thank you for sharing. 😊
you are right I have installed the pannels on the ground in my garden. easy to clean them every two 3 months,..and installed at south ..Also better cooling in summer
Agreed
Nice n informative.
Some People don't have prior technical details and after completing the set up ,they couldn't do much.
I have 4 arrays of panels. 2 (18) panel arrays pointing south those were my first. Noticed very little to no output at 1st sunrise. Then experimented pointing a few panels to the southwest and i got more early morning output on those few than both my 18 panel arrays with solar world 240 watt panels. So I built a 15 panel array using renogy 320 watt panels. And I have 6 300 watt panels catching the sunset. Here in central Illinois, that seems to work well. Since I have fixed angle arrays I had to comprimise my horizontal angle at 40 degrees.
We have 2400 watts of ground mount panels. I go out every morning if it’s not raining and broom them off and or wash them if needed. Being retired gives me plenty of time to maintain our arrays. The cool water can really increase the power but it’s short lived.
I believe you will maintain them better after your retirement.
I love this setup...I live in Florida and have the room to do this
I have my panels vertical, snow and dirt are not a problem. I cleaned then in sept but going to clean them soon when I add PV4 a 3.3 kw winter array.PV2 is a 2790w but has peaked at 3414w
Hi, Andrew! Your demonstrations are always informative and interesting. Thanks as always. I just thought of who you remind me of: The Energizer Bunny!! You keep going and going and going…
Lol thanks for watching.
One main thing I was told when my UK solar array was installed was NEVER USE A BRUSH to clean them, just a hose. Reason? Dirt is particulates and brushing these can damage the surface causing microscopic scratches that scatter the light thus reducing the efficiency of the panels and this just gets worse over time.
Hose won't work here, it will not remove stuck on pollen and other debris. A soft brush is needed for sure.
This is correct. The panels have a coating to reduce reflectivity and enhance absorption.
Another great video. Cleaning and cooling off are advantages for me on our north Texas property.
do you use battery for the Texas property?
@@serverrackbatteryusa we don’t currently harvest solar for whole home. I have portable batteries for operating ham radio and they are LiFeO batteries much like Jackery or DIY batteries based on 18650. But that only covers portable work so far.
Love your videos. Wish I had your acreage, and your smarts!
Glad you like them!
I've got trees all around. I have to have them on the roof, to keep them from being shadowed. (capacity factor)
Everyones situation is different.
Hope you guys got through the weather okay. Looked bad down towards the middle of the state but hopefully you dodged the worst of it.
All is well, there's definitely flooding in the area. Friends west of me got as much as 12 inches of rain.
Hi Andrew cleaning the solar panels, good idea, I don’t think I would have thought of that myself. Enjoyed your video!! 👍👍❤️❤️🇨🇦
They definitely need it.
Follow along！
I have to clean mine also . I have found a foam blaster will work fairly well. I have a set of ground mounted & roof mounted also . For the roof one i use a Rv scrub brush . Hope to add another set of panels in the future for winter . Ill make a vid also when i do .
Great！Looking forward to your video.
Good video.
Thanks!
Thanks for the information, I have been debating on cleaning my panels that are on my roof as they are dusty enough that I can see it from the ground. I will have to make sure to take some good readings before and after cleaning and see how it effects mine.
Follow the video and believe you can do it too!
I use distilled water with a tiny bit of dish soap in a 3 gallon sprayer and a squeegee (scrub side) to clean my small (6x200w) ground mounted array. Wipe off using the squeegee and soft towels (no scrubbing). Uses maybe 1 to 1.5 gallons each time.
Good day to all and to you all in Florida, hold on to each other.
Good morning!
Great video...hope the hail missed you...we've been getting a lot in the Dallas area lately and they are predicting storms with hail for most of next week.
We got a tremendous amount of rain and the area is flooded. But thankfully no hail or tornados as predicted.
It seems these solar panels glass is very hard tempered glass. Mine have survived many hail storms with no breakage. I hope that track record continues. I've never heard anyone ever say their solar panels were damaged by hail.
Very Interesting, great idea! 💡 👍 👌
I figured you like some of this video. 😉
@@TKCL
Will you be on the fence about incorporating an integrated part two which can also double as an outdoor BBQ AC if double sided???? 🔥👍
Oh boy the things you dream up
@@TKCL
C'mon admit it ... the wheels are turning in your head !!! 😅🤣
ASIN. B0BS3M6VMC
You know that1000 gallon BBQ will melt your face off without it 🔥
.
Well at least the PVP s are a no brained.
C-channel hinged mountings?
Love this channel. We are hoping to build our 40x80 or 50x80 shop here in Groveland. Aside from building bigger, do you have any lessons learned you care to pass on?
This video is great, I do wash my panels twice a year and I do know he calling affect. My 14KW array (44 x 330W panels) on my roof is difficult to clean but its well worth the effort.
It's absolutely worth it
Good info
Glad it was helpful!
Learn useful information about how to clean our solar panels
Hey, I'm always very happy when you make a video about solar systems. I'm thinking back to an answer you gave a long time ago, where you had just calculated how much electricity you pay per year. And when I asked if you didn't want to build a solar system, you said oh no, just not something like that, too much work and the electricity from the socket is very cheap. How times can change so much. Greetings from Berlin
Honestly getting the occasional sponsor, viewers heavily requesting the content and concerns about long term outages for various reasons, have been what's pushed me to it. The cost savings is nice but it's not enough alone for me to justify these systems. We are fortunate to have very affordable electricity where I live.
Building a solar system can provide a steady supply of electricity.
I knew it would make a difference, but that outcome surprised me. I have been sitting here after watching this and I honestly can't think of one thing that is maintenance free LOL!
Nothing is in life it seems.
Yes, including people LOL😄
Please be safe and careful
I’m gonna agree with you 100% on the roof mounting. Yes it’s great for access but one you’re stuck to the angle of your roof pretty much or you just have this ridiculousness on top of your house and into a roof is a vulnerable place for a house anyway, if you start mounting step up there, that’s gonna catch debris and snow and put a bunch of holes in your house you’re just Creating failure points all over the place and like you’re saying the maintenance of the solar panels and in my opinion you’re just asking for problems. I think the perfect options would be like you do a standalone plus you can get the right angles to the sign, you’re not stuck to where your billing is already created and Their other options like building, a carport or some sort of structure with a roof with the solar panels or even an awning that sits off of your roof of your house is at the right angle. Especially if you’re going to have an electric vehicle, having a separate power system run completely off of solar panels in a protective carport would be an awesome option, but I think putting them on your house is just a huge hassle, if your solar panels have a problem or your house has a problem then you’ve got to do twice as much work to deal with all of it. It’s just kind of silly idea in my eyes.
Very valid point about being stuck with angles and direction of mounting.
what's your brush and soap setup? I noticed a diff on our panels during the pollen vs rain season. There is talk about "special" PV panel soap and brushes
I'll admit good ol Dawn and a soft brush works for me. No need in getting fancy.
Live alone on solar. I try to clean my panels when they’re cool. What have you noticed with the glass when gleaning or cooling your panels. Any damage because of a quick cool down when they’re hot. In Missouri my panels get HOT!
Before cleaning, make sure the top surface does NOT have a so-called "anti-reflection" (AR) coating/treatment. If it does have AR, there is likely a very detailed way to clean it and that technique is likely described in the panel's owners manual.
Good advice! You can very quickly damage that coating by cleaning them incorrectly.
Hi looks like a great place u have....on the spray cooling if u ever do a test, i always wonder if spraying water on a hot panal might create stress cracking as the panals are rapidly cooled from being hot, but i guess its just like a hot panal getting a shower of rain, and the panals cope with that ok. Iv only got limited space so im going to mount my small 2kw array vertically and static on my south facing wall of my house, they will be out of the way plus still easy to clean. Iv heard people say vertically is good idea, as in summer they dont get as hot, and being cooler helps to generate similar power to panals being pointed directly at the sun, and its said helps them degrade more slowly too, and in winter they will be pointing at a great vertical angle to get any winter sun, with any luck...im in uk, so its not as ideal as your sunny weather.
BTW it is a good idea👍
This is also a consideration. Rapid cooling of hot panels can create micro fractures in the panels. The difference with rain is it usually starts a little more gradually than a drenching from a hose
New subscriber here👍
I’m getting too old to be on a roof. Can I find a video where you built your ground mounts. Thank You…
in 1-2 days in my area my vehicles are COVERED by dust/debris. i cant imagine 1 month for solar on a 2 story roof. Loving my Vertical panels.
Moreso with the Hail in my area. Covered by garage and the overhang.
Setup a trough under the panels and recirc/filter the water and panels with a simple pump.
It should be maintained.
Hey Andrew, do you cover or protect your panels when hail is forecasted?
I fold them up into the vertical position. If something major is predicted I take them down completely.
Nice one:)))
an A/B test ... To test if the cooling makes an improvement... instead of spraying on top spray on the backside. The water on the panel could act like little magnify glasses, per rain drop. I have no idea if that would make a difference. I know running them cooler does in fact increase performance. Also have you thought about bi-facial panels? Maybe on your next array get some... then do white crushed rock underneath to help reflect light.
Way ahead of you, bifacial panels, white rock and tests already in progress ruclips.net/video/i7FOsQaFi5Q/видео.html
Unless you are using distilled water, misting the panel fronts would be a nightmare for limescale buildup.
Very true
I'm going to try using the ceramic coating I put on my truck. Nothing seems to stick to it.
@@pstoneking3418 Might reduce panel efficiency, but would be a cool trial. I'd just want to AB test it first.
Good evening, neighbors
Good evening
Hi, im looking to make something like the I have a question, what do you do with yhem during a hurricane? Thanks
Watch this video ruclips.net/video/a_FiFUCf9mg/видео.html I made them removable for hurricane ls.
Love your videos, I wonder if you could take one panel and apply HydroSlick (its a ceramic / wax coating) put it on one and see what it does over a year. and or how easy it to clean
I'll even send you a bottle. I have solar on my roof of a 2 story house. I cant do the test easy or I would do it!
Rain X is the same thing correct?
Being new to the job, please answer this point. Do you do this cleaning after having shut down the panels? How do you proceed?
It would be wise to do so if you are going to be working in or around the wires as they still produce voltage. Keep in mind the panels are designed for wet weather and heave sealed connectors. I personally wouldn't be spraying the backside connection boxes.
Be more worried about hard water and leaving hose water to dry on the panels - creating calc spots which can be really hard to remove.
Squeegee at the end or blow off.
Do you think a product like rain-x would help protect your panels?
That's more designed to repel water, I'm not sure about dirt build up. It's worth a look.
I'm going to try the ceramic coating I put on my truck as a test on a couple of my panels to see if they remain any cleaner than the rest. Nothing seems to stick on I.
do you have a video of how you built your array for those panels?
Here's the second part ruclips.net/video/_YeucaSm9-s/видео.html
I never was a believer in solar on my roof for all the reasons you mention. If I don't have the space for panels on the ground, I won't ever get any.
I'm not a fan of it, except maybe on a shop roof. For sure not on a house roof.
awnestly i would install a transfer switch between the house and the shop for that second set of panels! that way they can work for both! just an idea!
I'll see what I can find.
@@TKCL yeah just a three position switch would work too! something that can take the power and watts! that way you could switch it off or to the house or to the shop!
the cooling down also remove dust, you could do it from the backside if only cooling.
It feels like a good idea. Try it next time.
What are you washing them with. Dish soap or what? We've had blowing dust, so I'm not sure what was safe to put on them.
I used Dawn, it seems to be safe for most anything.
suggest do a 48v 300ah diy kit
There will be needed by many people.
If you put white rock under your bifacial array there would be even more gains, great idea with the reflective panels behind them.
There is white rock under them, but they need to be higher to benefit from it.
It is a good idea. I will try!
Boy we did get a massive amount of rain the other day.
Yesterday I was looking at my neighbors panels on their roof. The lower 1/3 is nothing but mildew. 😮
Our area got up to 12 inches of rain, flooding everywhere. Your neighbor surely isn't getting good input from those panels.
That's an amazing amount of precipitation. It is hoped that the solar panel can be re-maintained.
How About Covering The Panel With See Through Film To Prevent Corrosion From Elements ?
Possibly
Nice Tests, but next time just do your changes with one setup and leave the otherone just like before, so you have perfect comparision
Good idea!
What keeps the panels from cracking when the cold water hits the hot panels?
They are not at that high of temperature. If they were not designed for that kind of service the company would be in trouble. Sprinklers, pop up rainshowers ect happen all the time to hot panels.
Is there a particular reason (especially with all your acreage) you didn’t want to go with the larger style residentual panels? I have found them to be much more cost effective per watt. Love your channel! Keep up the great content!
I actually bought these panels on sale for a very good price for watt. I also review a lot of equipment on the channel, some require 100 watts, 200 watts, all the way up to thousands of watts. Having individual 100 watt panels allows me to wire them in for the types of equipment I'm testing.
Solar panels are cheaper per watt than in the United States
My panels have been hit with huge hail on several occasions, and the panels have never been damaged.
Very lucky!
I’m looking at putting in some solar and you mentioned something Ive wondered about, hail. Do you have to cover them? Maybe a good topic for a future video.
He has the framing on a hinge to adjust the angle.
That panel set I built can fold up into a vertical position for the surprise hail storm, or it can be completely taken down. My new array I'm going to build will have plywood protection for storms.
@@TKCL so a hailstorm hits and you aren’t home what’s the odds of it breaking glass?
Odds are great! Luckily we usually get advanced warning of that.
Be prepared for early warning.
Hey Andrew, what if you put rainx on them after you clean them?
Never thought of that, I'm sure with time dirt will still stick requiring a good cleaning. Might be worth a look.
Still keep cleaning on a regular basis.
Is there a video of how your panels stow for hail damage prevention? I'd like to see that process.
Here is the first build video ruclips.net/video/a_FiFUCf9mg/видео.html
Here is the solar array add on ruclips.net/video/_YeucaSm9-s/видео.html
This is how I would do It but we rent and solar companies are adamant they must go on the roof. Otherwise they refuse to sell to us.The landlord wouldn't mind them going on the ground we have an elevated garden bed that would be perfect for it.
As I've got a bit of OCD, I would be out there cleaning them panels at least twice a week. Trouble is, I would spend all the savings I make on washing up liquid. 😂😂
Lol I get it
You are so diligent, it will be very clean.
I hadn’t realized how dirty my panels have gotten. I live in Fort Worth and our yards are TINY so putting them on the ground isn’t possible plus HOA’s wouldn’t allow it. I’m cleaning my Tesla system this weekend. What did you use to clean yours?
I just use basic dawn dish liquid
Keep regular cleaning to maintain the solar panels.
Try use spray soap foam for cleaning like on cars
So that we can achieve very good effect? I haven't tried it yet.
But what you dont take in account is that the higher up they are is the cooler they are ,and a combination of the rain and wind give an excellent cleaning combination.
We can look at this another way as well, the roof gets extremely hot and further reduces the panels output. I'm not buying the roof as the best option.
I thought "I" was the only weirdo who goes out and cleans my panels!!..... Good to know I have others who like to clean theirs too! "I" have an issue though, I cannot clean mine in the heat of the day. I live in Arizona where, in the summer, it gets a hundred and teens degrees for MANY days in a row. This means that my panels can get to 150 to 160 degrees. If I were to go out and clean them at that time, I'd have SHATTERED panels. So it makes me even weirder in the fact that sometimes, it'll be like 10PM.... 11PM.... even at midnight out there cleaning my panels. The next day, everything has completely dried and I'm running higher wattage. My array is ALL ground mounted and mostly all totally flat. They perform GREAT in a flat position for me PLUS, I don't have the real-estate to have the panels mounted with the proper tilt because the tilt will cast shadows on the panels behind them. Like you, I built all my own power plant here NOT to live off grid but it lowers my electric bill like CRAZY! I'm also installed solar powered mini split AC units in my house that now, I no longer have to use the POWER HUNGRY home, built-in AC units. The solar powered mini splits run on solar throughout the day and then at night, they use a bit of my batteries. They work GREAT and will freeze us out of the house!! The AC units I have are called Airspool, 18,000 BTU's and man do they work GREAT! So while the mini splits are using solar panels, it gives my batteries a great opportunity to get to 100%. All my batteries are at 100% by like, 12 to 1PM and all my inverters kick off at that time unless they are needed again. It's a great time to be alive with all this technology!!!!
Sounds like you have a sweet setup.
It's a hassle to clean at night, but it works great!
Lots of peoples say not to use soap in solar panels I didn’t know if you can
Dawn is quite safe, I've seen no I'll effects.
What kind of soap do you use? The company that installed my panels comes out once a year to clean them for free, but just for the first 5 years. I would like to clean them myself
I use a small amount of dawn dish soap. I've never seen any issues. That's a very mild soap.
Don’t wet them in the summer during the hottest part of the day. Fastest way to crack them
Good idea
The thing about solar panels is that they quickly degrade in the first year, up to 3%, then they degrade very slowly every year after that, 0.25 to 0.7%. That degradation takes time to notice and will be moot from lifestyle changes as you either get more efficient gadgets or get more things that use power, or your batteries degrade in off grid. Cleaning is a significant way to improve panels if you are exporting to the grid or you have an off grid system operating on the margins. Cleaning is a good idea but just as routine maintenance because if you need that 10%, you really just need more solar :)
If the system is on the roof you can just hit it with a hose occasionally if you don't get a lot of rain. Better than nothing and you can clean them more during house maintenance. I need to clean mine more because I have them under a power line so the birds keep pooping on them. Might do it this weekend.
Valid points
Yes, keeping clean is an effective way.
We'll just put them on the roof to save space. Moreover! They are safe on the roof. Therefore roof is the way to go
That could have been a perfect excuse to play with the firefighting pump!
Right!
LOL！
Howd yall fair with all the rain we just got??
Insane amount of rain, but thankfully no hail or wind damage.
In the commercial environment they like to clean the panels once a month for the big time solar guys around here..
As I drive by these fields with hundreds of thousands of panels, I think about that. By the time you get done cleaning you'd need to start over.
@@TKCL Idk these guys move quick. I mean quick probably about a week to do the field Google up TUCKER® WATER FED POLE SOLAR PANEL CLEANING KIT W/4060
The ones I see is like on the back of a gator of some kind with a water tank being pulled behind it.
I go to Urbana Illinois again later this month I will have to try and see if we get stuck up there by one of the solar fields and see If I can get a photo and I will pm email it to ya!
@@LorenTedford I think it's going to be spectacular！
8:10 "shop off grid" as we stare at the utility meter in the background?
Don't be one of those people. As clearly stated in the video it's running on nothing but solar. I can flip a switch back to grid when needed.
These Settings can be adjusted by yourself
Ive got half a dozen neighbors around here with panels on their roofs, they All are yellow and faded!! 😳
They will fade with time, but I bet a lot of that is simply dirt or mildew
Washing occasionally will reduce the chance of this happening.
I rinse mine once a week wash them once a month.
We get so much rain I can go longer. But it doesn't hurt to do it more often.
Diligent!
Misting to cool down the panels is not a good idea. You’ll create more bad than good which in turn get calcium deposits in a short of time and hard to remove unless you use chemical which may also cause harm than good. The best you can do is to have a lot of space behind the panels as much as possible for efficient and the highest power production. People mistake when installed on the roof they tend to like to keep the panels flush or close as possible to roof and preventing air flow to cool down the panels and reduce the power output by as much as 10-30%.
I want to take my house off grid so bad
Just make sure it's financially feasible, in some cases it isn't. Now there are other benefits that are hard to put a price on, like power during emergencies.
Too much cleaning can also damage them, the so called micro scratches, where if you use abrasive methods, you scratch the panels and lowers the efficiency..
Pay attention to cleaning, too.
Use your mobile fire truck to rinse your panels.
LOL
UNO
Si
@@kim.in.nature. hello Ms Kim 🌹.. and as Matthew McConaughey would say all right, all right, all right 😜
Nice batteries, but the absolute worst choice of inverters. High frequency inverters off far poorer surge capacities and shorter life expectancies than low frequency, transformer based inverters. Come back a year from now and let us know if your inverters are still working.
I run 3 of these inverters 24/7, my first one was installed over a year ago 🤷
The batteries and inverters are of good quality and come with a free warranty.
100 watt panels tells me you are a novice.
Your response tells your ignorance to what I do and that you are judgemental. Go ahead and try to tell me it's cheaper to buy residential panels and go ahead and try to tell me it's best for my situation. I've heard all the lines. I got 67 panels on a killer deal, these have out produced anything I've tested thus far, AND I'm a review channel. I test equipment requiring 100 watts, 200,400, 600, 800 up to 5k watts. 100 watt panels allows me to wire in any configuration for these tests and give the information I need to viewers who actually want to learn, not judge me based on one scenario. Have a better day!