The SOLAR connection

Solar panels work by converting sunlight into electricity, so the cleaner your panels are, the more efficiently they’ll be able to generate clean energy for your home or business.

Rainwater will provide a limited amount of cleaning to your solar panels. It will remove free dusty particles if panels are tilted, but rain does not remove the grime or bird droppings. In fact, water (light rain or morning dews) is one of the main reasons solar panels get dirty.

Experts agree that dirty solar panels don't produce as much power as clean panels. That loss may range as high as 25% in some areas according to the National Renewable Energy laboratory. Individual dealers have reported losses as high as 30% for some customers who failed to ever clean their panels.