Panel maintenance

PV servicing: washing, checks, degradation

Details

  • Washing

    1–2 times a year, clean water + soft brush; morning/evening — cold water on a hot panel cracks glass.

  • Checks

    Yearly: contacts, cable insulation, mounts, inverter log for errors and yield degradation.

  • Degradation

    0.5–1%/year is normal; >5% drop in a year — an error or a panel/inverter defect.

  • Winter

    Snow self-cleans — don't scrape; a >35° tilt self-cleans better.

A panel needs almost no attention — but the inverter and contacts age. A planned yearly check is cheaper than one 'missed' month of generation.