Solar panel cleaning...the debate continues..!!

[Shiny]

Well I decided a few month back that I wasn't going to entertain cleaning solar panels, had thought about it but after reading one or two threads on here I thought really their not worth the hassle or risk. However I did still think that for anybody who was interested in cleaning solar panels it could be quite a lucrative add on to their business.

So there I am today doing a regular clean when I noticed directly behind the property I was cleaning a bungalow was having solar panels installed. Now I clearly heard the lady who owned the bungalow ask the installer how often they should be cleaned.

His reply "never" he went on to to say the panels are self cleaning and we get plenty of rain in this country to keep them clean and functioning properly, he then said any contact to the panels with cleaning brushes and materials will only damage the panels and shorten their life span...??? he finished of by saying you will get cleaning companies knock on your door and tell you otherwise but dont have it done they just don't need cleaning.??

So thats what I over heard today from the mouth of an installer, as I said early I am not interested in cleaning them but what do you think about this fellows advice to his customers..???

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[Tuffers]

@Solar Steve has cleaned over 100,000, so there is a market for cleaning them. How do they clean themselves in Spain etc?

I saw a load of them on old folks council bungalows, so I phoned the council and asked if I could quote for cleaning them. The bird on the other end was adamant that they were self cleaning and wasn't interested in my services. The cow /emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Duncs]

what happens when they are covered in bird ****

i have had custy,s say they need to be kept clean also I also dont clean them

 

[windowsurfer]

Check this out forget the wfp, get the pressure washer out

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the americans know how to do it, if they can do it, so can we, i think

 

[Tuffers]

Old fatty will crack some tiles if he's not careful.

 

[Shiny]

@Solar Steve has cleaned over 100,000, so there is a market for cleaning them. How do they clean themselves in Spain etc?
I saw a load of them on old folks council bungalows, so I phoned the council and asked if I could quote for cleaning them. The bird on the other end was adamant that they were self cleaning and wasn't interested in my services. The cow /emoticons/biggrin.png

Tuffers you must be losing your charm... !!!

Turned down by a bird...!!

You should have offered a free tuffering with every contract she passed onto yea..!! lol

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[Smurf]

Or fall off his roof

 

[Tuffers]

Tuffers you must be losing your charm... !!!Turned down by a bird...!!

You should have offered a free tuffering with every contract she passed onto yea..!! lol

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Probably a dyke /emoticons/wink.png

 

[windowsurfer]

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[/media] should have drawn an unhappy smiley face in the dust
I will stop posting vids, I saw a youtube video of an old guy cleaning bird mess off his solar panels on his bungalow with his diy made up pole, he stays next to sea side and birds always making a mess.

 

[Smurf]

are you on the pop tonight @Tuffers? /emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Tuffers]

are you on the pop tonight @Tuffers? /emoticons/biggrin.png

Just quaffing some Cava

 

[spruce]

@Solar Steve has cleaned over 100,000, so there is a market for cleaning them. How do they clean themselves in Spain etc?
I saw a load of them on old folks council bungalows, so I phoned the council and asked if I could quote for cleaning them. The bird on the other end was adamant that they were self cleaning and wasn't interested in my services. The cow /emoticons/biggrin.png

In the sales world they were called 'gatekeepers'. They were usually secretaries who took it on themselves to block you talking directly to the person concerned.

You need to be inventive to find the name of the right person to talk to; asking council employees who is directly responsible for maintenance of the flats etc, and then phone him to make an appointment to see him. You may find that the person/persons who authorised the procurement of these panels is a good place to start. You need to bypass this 'helpful' gatekeeper.

Think of it as a mission. After all, you will have other windies who will also not be able to get past the gatekeeper and give up.

You may need to put a well thought out letter together explaining the pros of keeping these panels clean as Solar Steve does.

You must also consider that the council will be very strict on health and safety, so you will need the correct equipment to carry this out. In the instance we have experience with the council decided they didn't need our services as they would do it themselves from a cherry picker and jet wash them off. This was cheaper than installing and maintaining a fall arrest system for us to use.

Again the installers told the school the installation was fitted to that they never need cleaning as the rain will wash them off.

Bungalows will be easier to clean, but you may have to find the occassional way around some panels that wouldn't be easy to clean from the ground.

 

[cheapncheerful]

bird poop saudi sand storm slime....why do i have to clean self cleaning windows?......and i thought it was proved that output dropped over time...i not cleaned any yet ...good post though.:thumbsup:

 

[Smurf]

A lot of domestic customers with solar panels are brain washed that they don't need cleaning so myself I don't bother.

However it's a different story with solar farms as it's all about optimising the arrays so they can make more £££'s

 

[Bingo]

I wonder how much domestic customers actually save on their electric bill from solar panels.....

I mean, there must be a maximum price they would pay for cleaning their solar panels, before it starts biting into any saving they made from the electricity.

 

[Smurf]

Average return on their investment they say takes anything between 10-25 years.

I had to laugh when a customer of mine said that a solar panel salesman tried to stand his ground saying to her 80 year old father it was still worth getting his roof done. More like he just wanted the commission as would have been no real benefit to the old boy shelling out thousands upfront at all.

 

[RiceRocket]

Solar panel owners are going to be so smug if/when the blackouts start happening.

Saw an interesting graphic the other day that apparently the whole world's power needs could be met if you literally "panelled" half the land area of somewhere like Portugal.

 

[Smurf]

Unless they are off grid ie have huge submarine batteries to store the power then when the power goes off which usually happens at night they will be sat in the dark too /emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Shiny]

Solar panel owners are going to be so smug if/when the blackouts start happening.Saw an interesting graphic the other day that apparently the whole world's power needs could be met if you literally "panelled" half the land area of somewhere like Portugal.

Can't they just cover Uruguay in solar panels to cover world needs...!!!

I have got over the football...!! not bitter any more at all...lol

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[Tuffers]

not bitter any more at all...lol

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Gnaw am I :laugh:

The rat faced goofy teethed Argie gimp suit wearing smelly breathed flat eared greasy haired person /emoticons/smile.png

Glad I got that off my chest. Now where was I?

 

[Shiny]

Gnaw am I :laugh:
The rat faced goofy teethed Argie gimp suit wearing smelly breathed flat eared greasy haired person /emoticons/smile.png

Glad I got that off my chest. Now where was I?

Oooooooooooooooh someone's tired...!!l lol

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