Cleaning Solar Panels with Minimal Water

Q. How would I clean installed solar panels out in the field using minimum amounts of water?

A. For field cleaning solar panels and modules, we recommend using Liquinox® Critical Cleaning Liquid Detergent. This is a liquid concentrate that would be used at a 1% solution (1.25 oz/gal, or 10 mL/L). Liquinox is not harmful to discharge onto the ground in an agricultural setting, yet is a powerful emulsifier of organic and oily residues found in your everyday environment dirt, dust, bird droppings etc.

Review of local and municipal regulations with your EHS Manager or equivalent is certainly recommended.

For light residues, a 0.5% concentration (0.65 oz/gal, or 5 mL/L) can be considered, in which case a wipe off can be done and possible avoidance of rinsing altogether.  Thereby saving water.

Liquinox detergent will not attack glass or aluminum substrates. We recommend developing a cleaning procedure that allows you to spray on the 1% Liquinox solution using irrigation water (possibly use a garden sprayer or backpack sprayer).  Allow the sprayed on solution to sit for as long as is practical without excessive evaporation. Do some scrubbing with a light plastic brush to get any really tough spots loosened up.  Rinse thoroughly with irrigation water, then if practical, do a final rinse. This basic procedure for cleaning solar panels will leave them clean and residue -free.

For high pressure cleaning, where a foaming detergent can be undesirable, this same procedure can be followed using either mild Luminox® Low-Foaming Neutral pH Liquid Detergent or alkaline Solujet® Low-Foaming Phosphate-Free Liquid.  Both completely free rinsing, biodegradable and phosphate-free.

To request a Liquinox sample, or other Alconox Inc. detergents for free, please complete the questionnaire at Get Sample.  For more information about any one of our Alconox Inc. detergents, consult the technical bulletin for each product. Or click here to access each of our detergent’s Safety Data Sheets.

Do you have a critical cleaning question for the experts at Alconox Inc.?  Search TechNotes to see if it’s been answered before or Ask Alconox.

Contact us any time: cleaning@alconox.com