[ben M]

I do not know much about solar panels or if they are all self cleaning. I understand there is some difference in quality. But going from what some customers have said to me about their self cleaning panels and consistent performance, I am not sure they would benefit much by paying me to clean them.

This is obviously not what I want to hear but I like to be honest. If there is not much rain then a build of of dust/dirt would accumulate until it rained. This may explain your picture?

Thing is I really do not know for sure and was hoping Solar Steve might add his opinion as he cleans a lot of installations - though I am looking to target domestic.

Hi dd.  Do you want a simple answer or the scientific answer?

[R.C Property]

I do not know much about solar panels or if they are all self cleaning. I understand there is some difference in quality. But going from what some customers have said to me about their self cleaning panels and consistent performance, I am not sure they would benefit much by paying me to clean them.

This is obviously not what I want to hear but I like to be honest. If there is not much rain then a build of of dust/dirt would accumulate until it rained. This may explain your picture?

Thing is I really do not know for sure and was hoping Solar Steve might add his opinion as he cleans a lot of installations - though I am looking to target domestic.

Hi dd.   Do you want a simple answer or the scientific answer?

Why Don't you just answer the question, you always avoid answering or answer it with questions, maybe you should try politics lol

[telfordwindowclnr]

I do not know much about solar panels or if they are all self cleaning. I understand there is some difference in quality. But going from what some customers have said to me about their self cleaning panels and consistent performance, I am not sure they would benefit much by paying me to clean them.

This is obviously not what I want to hear but I like to be honest. If there is not much rain then a build of of dust/dirt would accumulate until it rained. This may explain your picture?

Thing is I really do not know for sure and was hoping Solar Steve might add his opinion as he cleans a lot of installations - though I am looking to target domestic.

Hi dd.   Do you want a simple answer or the scientific answer?

Why Don't you just answer the question, you always avoid answering or answer it with questions, maybe you should try politics lol

Lol! Just trying to save my thumbs! I won't type out the long winded answer if no one wants it.

[R.C Property]

I do not know much about solar panels or if they are all self cleaning. I understand there is some difference in quality. But going from what some customers have said to me about their self cleaning panels and consistent performance, I am not sure they would benefit much by paying me to clean them.

This is obviously not what I want to hear but I like to be honest. If there is not much rain then a build of of dust/dirt would accumulate until it rained. This may explain your picture?

Thing is I really do not know for sure and was hoping Solar Steve might add his opinion as he cleans a lot of installations - though I am looking to target domestic.

Hi dd.   Do you want a simple answer or the scientific answer?

Why Don't you just answer the question, you always avoid answering or answer it with questions, maybe you should try politics lol

Lol! Just trying to save my thumbs! I won't type out the long winded answer if no one wants it.

Use your fingers to type then and  just answer the question. If the answer takes 2 words or 1000's words. It will be an answer and helping the guy out that's asked for you help, yesterday I spent 20minutes on the phone to someone asking about solar panels, all because you wasn't answering his emails, phone calls or msg, people come on these forums to get help and advise or just chats.

[telfordwindowclnr]

I do not know much about solar panels or if they are all self cleaning. I understand there is some difference in quality. But going from what some customers have said to me about their self cleaning panels and consistent performance, I am not sure they would benefit much by paying me to clean them.

This is obviously not what I want to hear but I like to be honest. If there is not much rain then a build of of dust/dirt would accumulate until it rained. This may explain your picture?

Thing is I really do not know for sure and was hoping Solar Steve might add his opinion as he cleans a lot of installations - though I am looking to target domestic.

Hi dd.   Do you want a simple answer or the scientific answer?

Why Don't you just answer the question, you always avoid answering or answer it with questions, maybe you should try politics lol

Lol! Just trying to save my thumbs! I won't type out the long winded answer if no one wants it.

Use your fingers to type then and  just answer the question. If the answer takes 2 words or 1000's words. It will be an answer and helping the guy out that's asked for you help, yesterday I spent 20minutes on the phone to someone asking about solar panels, all because you wasn't answering his emails, phone calls or msg, people come on these forums to get help and advise or just chats.

Uh?    It was my wedding anniversary yesterday and have been away all weekend, so wasn't overly active answering the phone/emails and stuff.

However, I've just checked my emails and no one has asked for help over the last few days. If they had, I would have replied. I will check my answer phone tomorrow and if someone has left a message, please rest assured that I will call them back. 

It  is very noble of you to help someone on the phone for 20 mins, something i have done with members on here on a number of occasions.

If you read back through threads that have mentioned solar panels, you will see that I have offered help to people individually and they have posted and thanked me for that help. I have also offered an abundance of generic info about the subject and tried to answer as accurately as I can.

[telfordwindowclnr]

Getting back to the thread at hand, the answer can be long and drawn out or short. For now I'll give the short answer that not all panels are self-cleaning and even those that proport to be are not very efficient and still benefit from manual cleaning.

If anyone requires more detail, please feel free to ask.

[telfordwindowclnr]

I do not know much about solar panels or if they are all self cleaning. I understand there is some difference in quality. But going from what some customers have said to me about their self cleaning panels and consistent performance, I am not sure they would benefit much by paying me to clean them.

This is obviously not what I want to hear but I like to be honest. If there is not much rain then a build of of dust/dirt would accumulate until it rained. This may explain your picture?

Thing is I really do not know for sure and was hoping Solar Steve might add his opinion as he cleans a lot of installations - though I am looking to target domestic.

Just to pick up on the last bit of your post, I intended to target domestic, but found the market very small. It's good as a bit extra, if you only want an odd extra job. If you want it as a bolt-on, you need to expand your horizons a little.

[dd]

Hi Steve.

Yes the scientific answer would be quite nice. Thanks.

[R.C Property]

Just a quote from a manufacturer of self cleaning glass!

Tips for Maintaining Self-Cleaning Glass

The coating on Pilkington Activ™ self-cleaning glass products needs approximately 5 - 7 days to energise. After this period it continues to work even on cloudy days and during the night, washing away dirt whenever it rains. However, there are certain circumstances in which a little basic maintenance on self-cleaning glass may be necessary.

Heavy Dirt Deposits
The coating on self-cleaning glass normally breaks down even the heaviest deposits of organic dirt in time - but if the surface is so dirty that daylight cannot reach the glass, the self-cleaning action will not take effect. In such extreme cases, you will need to clean the glass with warm soapy water and a soft cloth. After a few days the self-cleaning process will have re-activated.

Maintaining During Dry Spells
During very dry spells you may need to speed the window cleaning process up as there will have been no rain to wash loosened dirt away. This is easily done by simply hosing the glass down with water - which should remove most traces of dirt. Note: organic dirt will not necessarily be removed by hosing, so some dirt may still be seen when the glass dries after the hosing treatment.

Maintaining the Coating
Tests have shown that the special coating on the self-cleaning glass will not flake off or discolour, but it will be affected if the surface itself is damaged; for example, by pointed objects or abrasive cleaners. For this reason, ink or paint must be carefully removed from the self-cleaning glass using a soft cloth and methylated spirits and never with harsh scouring glass cleaning agents, steel wool, razor blades or anything else that would scratch the glass.

>Download a list of approved window cleaning agents that can be used in association with self-cleaning glass.

The greatest feature of Pilkington Activ™ self-cleaning glass is that it relies on the forces of nature to keep your windows looking beautiful. When it comes to glass cleaning, it's easy to see why more and more home owners are turning to Pilkington Activ™ self-cleaning glass to keep their homes looking at their very best.

Download these maintenance guidelines for more information on how to keep your self-cleaning glass in peak condition.


so even the people that make the self cleaning glass says that you do need to clean it at times!

to sum it up, if the light cant get to the glass, like under bird muck, the self cleaning glass wont take effect and wont come off. this bird muck can cause a hot spot on the solar panel and could cause that solar panel to burn out, which in turn puts a bit more strain on the others.

[G Griffin]

It's just a name; it doesn't mean they never need cleaning or they clean themselves.
We've got a self cleaning glass conny roof and it still needs cleaning but it's much easier to do and does stay cleaner.
And don't feel that Sealskinz gloves are a rip-off because they're not made out of Seal. I know his face looks like they could be, but no singer was hurt in the making of this product.

[R.C Property]

another thing you can ask customers is to check there warranty,

some warranties say that cleaning has to be done to keep the warranty valid.

[MNWC]

This was a test strip cleaned for a client to see if it was viable to have the panels cleaned.
The result speaks for itself......



That was cleaned 2 Months after the installation

This pic was before cleaning...

[R.C Property]

This was a test strip cleaned for a client to see if it was viable to have the panels cleaned.
The result speaks for itself......



That was cleaned 2 Months after the installation

This pic was before cleaning...

On the top pic is it the first 2 panels that was cleaned, im on my BlackBerry PlayBook at the minute and can't see it well,

[MNWC]

Top pic, second row of panels top to bottom 

[R.C Property]

Top pic, second row of panels top to bottom  

Oh right, they are nice and shiny where the others are dull

[telfordwindowclnr]

another thing you can ask customers is to check there warranty,

some warranties say that cleaning has to be done to keep the warranty valid.

You been memorising our website again?

[R.C Property]

another thing you can ask customers is to check there warranty,

some warranties say that cleaning has to be done to keep the warranty valid.

You been memorising our website again?

Lol not been on your website I don't think. 

[telfordwindowclnr]

Hi Steve.

Yes the scientific answer would be quite nice. Thanks.

DISCLAIMER: Do not read if you are not interested in solar panel cleaning (cos this might get boring!) or if you are just gonna argue with me at the end! 

There are various types of glass, which is made in a whole host of ways. Some has a very rough finish, some has a very smooth finish. All look the same to the naked eye, but under a microscope, they look completely different.

Dirt accumulates on glass at a microscopic level to begin with, then gathers to the point where we can see it.

Self cleaning glass is either hydrophobic, meaning the water beads on it or it is hydrophilic, meaning the water sheets on the glass.  Hydrophobic glass needs a very high static water contact angle in order to be self-cleaning effectively. Solar panels are hardly, if ever laid at this angle. So although the glass itself is self-cleaning and has the capability of being self cleaning, the angle it is laid at is often incorrect for the scientific process of self-cleaning to happen.

Why does hydrophobic glass not work?
To make glass hydrophobic, waxes or polymers need to be applied, which is a timely and costly process. The finish is often hazy which makes it unsuitable for the majority of windows.

What is hydrophilic glass?
Hydrophilic glass is coated with Titania which enables sunlight to chemically break down the dirt and then the rain washes it away. So, hydrophilic glass is the stuff to use then eh? No.

Why does hydrophilic glass not work?
It again is costly, which has held it back from commercial use. Secondly, the cleaning is a two stage process. You need photocatalysis and hydrophilicity to be present for the self-cleaning process to be activated. In order to accelerate both processes, university scientists are trying to develop substances to do just that. The technology is very much in its infancy and good quality products are at least 5 years from the market place.

It is the development of such products, specifically in the field of solar panels which we hope to shortly be involved in with some Welsh universities.

To conclude, there is self-cleaning glass on the market. However, it's functional use in solar panels is limited at best, which is great news for all of us!

Hope that gives a satisfactory answer to the question dd. 

[dd]

Hi Steve

Thanks. I do not suppose you know what angle the roof/panel needs to be at for the self cleaning technology to work well?

Looking at it unscientifically the two customers I have had conversations with who told me they had self cleaning panels; I asked them if they were able to monitor the performance of the panels and both did. Both installations have been in place around a year and both said that they had not as yet noticed any drop in the efficiency of the panels. I am of course hoping this will changeover time.

[telfordwindowclnr]

Hi Steve

Thanks. I do not suppose you know what angle the roof/panel needs to be at for the self cleaning technology to work well?

Looking at it unscientifically the two customers I have had conversations with who told me they had self cleaning panels; I asked them if they were able to monitor the performance of the panels and both did. Both installations have been in place around a year and both said that they had not as yet noticed any drop in the efficiency of the panels. I am of course hoping this will changeover time.

The angle is the minimum needed for water run off.

A year is no time for the panels to be cleaned because they will be coated straight from the factory. The coating wears off over time and the dirt will accumulate.

That's why spc has been a slow burn for our company. I knew they would not need cleaning within the first year or two, so used that time to gen up. Glad I did, because now I know what is up against and can talk simply to a residential client, a bit more about the numbers with commercials and a bit more scientifically with the university scientists and who will be the developers of new products. For me, my interest in solar does not end with cleaning, but in the future of the technology too.