Solar Collection
Clean panels, measurably better output — the part of a solar installation nobody tells you about.
Solar panels are sold as maintenance-free, and they nearly are. But they are glass surfaces mounted at an angle in the open air, and glass collects dirt, pollen, salt and droppings. Output falls quietly, a few per cent at a time, and because it happens gradually most people never notice. Cleaning them is cheap and the difference shows up on the meter.
What it protects
The output you paid for
The yield figure on your quotation assumed clean glass. Soiling takes its percentage quietly and continuously, and because it arrives gradually almost nobody notices it arriving — you simply end up with an array that never quite matched the projection.
The cells behind the glass
A dropping or a patch of lichen does not merely shade a cell, it sits on it. A cell shaded while its neighbours are working runs hot instead of generating, and a cell that runs hot for long enough stops being a cell.
The roof under the array
The space beneath panels collects debris and stays damp, because nothing that gets under there ever dries out again. It is the one part of a roof nobody has ever looked at, and it is directly above your ceiling.
What it covers
- Deionised water onlyNo detergent and no tap water. Detergent leaves a film that attracts dirt faster; tap water dries with mineral spots that do the same.
- Pole-fed from the groundNo walking on the roof and no weight on the panels or the mounting rails.
- Nothing abrasive, everNo scrapers, no hard-faced brushes, no scouring. The anti-reflective coating on panel glass is a few microns thick, it is the reason the panel performs as well as it does, and it does not come back once it has been rubbed off.
- Frames and railsCleared of moss and debris, which is where water sits and corrosion starts.
- Under the arrayCleared of nesting material, leaves and moss wherever access allows. This is where debris packs solid and holds water against the tiles.
- The roof it is fixed toLooked at while we are there. An array is bolted through the covering, which makes the roof underneath it more important than an ordinary roof, not less.
- Visual inspectionCracked glass, discoloured cells, loose fixings, cabling starting to sag — photographed and reported.
- Bird protectionMesh fitted around the array where pigeons have got underneath, on request.
- Photographed before and afterPanels look identical from the ground whatever anybody does to them, which is exactly why you should be shown what they actually looked like and what they look like now.
Perfect for
Owners of solar panels who want the output they paid for and the return the installer promised.
How often
Twice a year — quarterly where trees, gulls or a coastal aspect make it worth it.
Annually for most installations. Twice a year near the coast or under trees.
Everything we use is safe around pets, children and planting. Nothing we apply to your home should cost you your lawn or worry you about the dog.
What it costs
Priced per panel, so a straightforward domestic array is a small job. Access is the main thing that moves the number. We measure the property from survey data before we quote, so the figure we give you is worked out from your building rather than guessed from the kerb. Every quote is confirmed on site before any work starts, and we will tell you if we think you do not need the work.
