Fall Maintenance for Solar Panels

Installing solar panels can be a valuable addition to your home’s energy system. Tapping into a clean and free source of energy like solar can bring huge savings over time. But how effective are solar panels during the colder seasons?

As we slip into the fall season, the abundance of summer sunlight fades and the days will begin to get shorter. This means homeowners should take precautions to ensure their solar panels are being used as efficiently as possible.

Clean debris

The biggest concern with solar panel maintenance is cleanliness and with fall comes falling leaves and other debris. Take the time to clean off any fallen leaves or branches that could be blocking the solar panels from vital sunlight and robbing you of solar energy. Leave removal should be one of the easier tasks in solar panel maintenance.

Turn towards the sun

We have seasons because the Earth is tilted on an axis. As we move into fall, the Earth begins to point away from sunlight. Making a shift in the direction of your solar panels by just a few degrees can greatly increase their efficiency.

Snow

While there may be many suggestions on how to clean snow from your solar panels, the safest option is to just wait for it to melt. Solar panels are pitched at an angle allowing melted snow to run off on its own. Trying to sweep the snow off or heating up your panels could damage them or void the warranty.