Solar panel maintenance: what it includes and how often to do it

One of the advantages of solar energy is that it needs very little maintenance: there are no moving parts and no fuel. But "little" is not "none". An installation that nobody checks for years builds up dirt, may have a worn connector or a loose fixing, and each of those problems cuts production or, worse, can turn into a fault.

What a full maintenance visit includes

1. Visual inspection of the modules, always before cleaning: broken or scratched glass, stains, discolouration or loose connections. A broken module or a damaged connection is an electrical hazard once it gets wet [2]. Thermography, covered by the IEC 62446-3 standard, is used to detect hot spots accurately.
2. Panel cleaning with purified water at low pressure, following the manufacturer's instructions [2].
3. Mounting structure and fixings: bolts, clamps and anchors, especially after strong winds.
4. Wiring and connectors: no loose, stripped or chewed cables, or cables exposed to the sun without protection.
5. Inverter and monitoring: check there are no alarms and that production matches what is expected.

Who takes care of each point. At TARRAMED we do points 1 and 2: the visual inspection and the cleaning. Points 3, 4 and 5 are work for an authorised installer, and for that we work with leading solar installation companies.

Preventive and corrective

Preventive maintenance is scheduled to avoid problems: cleaning, inspection and checks. Corrective maintenance is carried out once there is a fault: replacing a module or connector, or repairing the inverter. Electrical work on the installation must always be carried out by an authorised installer.

How often?

TARRAMED's practical recommendation; we adjust the frequency to each installation after the first visit.

What you can keep an eye on

• Check your inverter app once a month and compare it with the expected output in Tarragona (about 1,583 kWh a year per kWp) [3].
• Make sure the inverter shows no alarm lights.
• Look from the ground for dirt, droppings or nests.
• Call a professional if you notice a sudden drop in production.

What we do and who we work with

At TARRAMED, a solar panel cleaning company in Tarragona, we take care of the visual inspection and purified-water cleaning of your installation, and of bird-proofing with mesh. We work on homes, residential blocks, farms and warehouses in Tarragona, Reus, Valls, the Camp de Tarragona area, Barcelona and Lleida.

The rest of the maintenance (structure, wiring, inverter, thermography and any electrical work) is done by installers. We work with leading solar installation companies to offer our customers that maintenance and also the installation of solar panels. We don't do it ourselves, but our partners do.

About the sources: the water quality, pressure and temperature figures in this article come from the cleaning guidelines of First Solar, one of the largest US manufacturers of solar modules, which makes thin-film modules; silicon modules, more common on rooftops, may have slightly different specifications. Each manufacturer publishes its own, which is why at TARRAMED we always follow those of your panels' manufacturer.