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How to Increase the Efficiency of Your Solar Panels

How to Increase the Efficiency of Your Solar Panels

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Are you looking for a solar panel system, so you can make the switch to cleaner, more efficient solar power? Great! There’s no better way to save money on your electric bills, or protect our environment. But if you’re thinking of making the switch, you’re probably wondering just how efficient solar panels are, and if there is anything you can do to keep them working as efficiently as possible. The efficiency of solar panels depends on several things, such as weather conditions, how they are installed, and how well they are taken care of, meaning there are things that you can do to increase your solar panel efficiency.

What Is Solar Efficiency?

gears and clocks

When we talk about solar efficiency, we mean how much power a solar panel can produce, or how well a solar panel can convert energy from the sun into energy for your home or business. Solar panels are pretty efficient, but they will lose efficiency over time (around 18- 20%). But, as we pointed out above, their efficiency can also be affected by how the panels are constructed, how they are installed, and what type of weather conditions they are exposed to.

For example, snow can affect a solar panel’s performance, and the amount of shade where they are installed can have a big effect on how much energy your solar panels can produce. If a solar panel is not installed correctly and does not get enough sunlight, its efficiency will take a hit.

Increasing Solar Panel Efficiency

Luckily, there are things you can do to make sure that your solar panels are as efficient as possible, and are producing more than enough power for your home or business. The best way to keep your solar panels working to their full potential is to:

  • Clean your solar panels– If your panels are dirty, the sun won’t be able to effectively get through to the solar cells.
  • Schedule regular maintenance– You should have a trained professional check your panels at least once a year.
  • Heat/cool your home carefully– The best way to keep your solar panels working efficiently is not to overuse them. Make sure that you’re using your thermostat to your advantage: for example, you can turn the temperature down at night during the winter and use a warmer blanket, or turn off the AC while you’re not home in the summer.
hand holding a LED light
  • Use LED lights– LED lights consume less electricity, so they use less energy from your solar panels.
  • Trust a great company to install your solar panel system– The best way to get the most efficient solar panels is to buy them from a trusted company. Go Solar Energy can compare all of the different types of solar panels for sale, and we’ll set you up with a local agent who will go over all available plans to help you find the solar energy system that best suits your needs and finances.

Need Help?

Have questions? Go Solar Energy can help! Our agents are highly trained and knowledgeable in the solar industry and can assist you with any questions you have. If you are interested in installing a solar energy system in your home or business, we can compare quotes from the top-rated companies in your area and find you the best plan with the most efficient solar panels – and we’ll save you money. Get started by entering your zip code in the bar on our homepage, or for free quotes and guidance from one of our licensed agents, call 888-290-3112.

Why Degradation Rate Is Important When Choosing Solar Panels

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Have you ever considered what makes a solar panel last, and remain efficient? That’s a big question when it comes to getting your money’s worth from a solar energy system. If you’re looking to get a solar energy system that will stand the test of time, you’ll need to look into the degradation rate of its panels, and not just its price. Remember, price is important when choosing solar panels, but if you choose to purchase cheaper panels to save some money, it might cost you in the long run. Find out what degradation is and how it will affect your solar energy system.

What Is Degradation?

triangle with time, cost, and efficiency written on each side

When we talk about the degradation rate of solar panels, we mean the amount that the power output of the panels decreases over time. All solar panels degrade over time, with most degrading at about an average rate of 0.5% each year. But as with anything you purchase, it all depends on how much you pay for your solar panels. The cheaper the panel,  generally the more it will degrade over time. It is important to know that losing a percentage of your power output can have a really big impact on your savings potential! The faster your panels degrade, even if they are only degrading by 1% a year, the more savings on your utility bills you’ll be missing out on.

How Does Degradation Happen?

Many factors can contribute to the degradation of solar panels. One way solar panel degradation happens is through microcracks that form in the silicon of the solar cells. These small cracks cause electrical connections to deteriorate, meaning there are fewer paths for the electrons from the sun to take, and thus less energy goes to your inverter and into your home or business. The climate, temperature, and materials used in manufacturing all play a role in the degradation rate of a solar panel, and how well it can hold up and continue to provide energy. 

Finding the Best Solar Energy System

a house with solar panels on the roof

The best way to make sure that your solar panels perform at their best is to purchase them from a reputable company. And not only is it important to find well-made, durable solar panels, but it is also important to purchase a system with a great warranty. Go Solar Energy works with top-rated companies in the nation; that means we can find a solar panel system that has the lowest degradation rate possible, so you can continue to save the most amount possible on your electric bills for many years to come. 
Reviewing all the different types of solar panels, how durable and efficient they are, and the warranties offered by different companies can take a very long time. Go Solar Energy makes the process easier for you. Give us a few minutes and we can compare all of the different types of solar panels for sale and how much each company charges for them. We’ll set you up with a local agent who will go over all available plans to help you find the solar energy system that best suits your needs and finances. To get started, enter your zip code on the homepage, or to speak directly to one of our agents call (888) 290-3112.

How to Get More Value Out of Your Solar Energy System With Go Solar Energy

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Switching to solar energy for your home or business can help you save money on your electric bills and then some. While the upfront costs of switching can seem high, over time you will actually get a return on your investment, meaning you’ll end up with years of free solar energy for your home. So if you’re making the switch, find out how you can get more value out of your solar energy system, with the help of Go Solar Energy!

Learn about Degradation

If you want to get the most out of your solar energy system, you’ll need to know about the degradation rate of the panels in your system. Degradation is the rate at which a solar panel loses its production capabilities, and can happen when panels are exposed to harsh conditions like snow, hail, and storms, which put stress on the cells that make up the panels. Generally, the cheaper the solar panel, the higher its degradation rate. But with that being said, every solar company makes solar panels differently, and Go Solar Energy can find you a system that won’t degrade quickly, but that also won’t break the bank.

Know Your Warranties

pink piggy bank with an umbrella over it

When you purchase a solar energy system, your solar company will generally offer you a warranty of 10 to 30 years, depending on the company, the panels, and the plan you choose. To protect yourself and get the most out of your system, you should purchase a system with the best warranty available, in case anything goes wrong and you need to replace or fix your panels/system. We can find a solar energy system that offers the best warranty, without any of the fine print that will prevent you from being fully protected.

Make Sure You Check Efficiency Ratings

In order to get the most bang for your buck out of your solar energy system, you need to understand how the efficiency of solar panels affects your savings. Solar panels have different efficiency ratings, meaning some panels produce more energy than others over the long term. To save as much money as possible on your utility bills, you should look for panels that can generate sunlight from ultraviolet and infrared rays, trapping as much light as possible to produce the most energy. Go Solar Energy can help you find the most efficient panels at the best price.

Take Advantage of the ITC

pile of money stacked on top of each other

Looking for a break on the cost of a solar energy system? In 2020, Congress passed an extension of the federal solar investment tax credit, which offers a 26% tax credit for systems installed this year. But this won’t last long: the solar tax credit is set to decrease to 22% in 2023, and will completely go away for residential solar energy systems by 2024. 
If you’re making the switch to solar energy, and want to get the most out of your system, you’ll need to do some research – but Go Solar Energy can do it for you, for free. It can take a lot of work to find the right solar company and the right solar power system for you, but our highly trained agents can make things easy for you. We work with the top-rated companies in the country and can compare all solar plans in your area to find the best one available. To get free instant quotes, simply enter your zip code in the bar on our homepage, or to speak to a licensed agent, call 888-290-3112.

Solar Panels Are Getting Spicy With Capsaicin

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Adding a little spice is not only good for your health or for making your recipes more delicious: it might be the way to make clean, renewable solar energy even better. A team of Chinese researchers have found that capsaicin, the active component that makes chili peppers hot, can make solar panels absorb the sun’s energy more efficiently. With these exciting findings, researchers hope to continue to improve solar panels and solar energy systems, and provide more energy from a natural and sustainable source, for less money.

How Solar Panels Work

Solar panels, which are made up of solar cells linked together, work by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms, which generates a flow of electricity. These cells have been predominantly made of silicone for years, but now perovskite solar cells have been slowly overtaking them: not only are perovskite solar cells cheaper and easier to make than silicon solar cells, but they also absorb sunlight better. 

photovoltaic cells

While perovskite cells have many advantages, there have also been some issues with them surrounding converting sunlight into electricity. To deal with these issues, Qinye Bao, the study’s senior author and an electrical engineer at East China Normal University, began looking for alternative, inexpensive substances to add to improve the cells’ performance. “Considering the electric, chemical, optical, and stable properties of capsaicin, we preliminarily found that it would be a promising candidate,” says Bao in a statement.

How Capsaicin Helps Produce More Solar Energy

To test their theory on adding capsaicin, researchers added it to the perovskite solar cells, and then exposed them to artificial light imitating sunlight, and measured the electricity pass through. The chemical compound increased the solar cells’ efficiency, having a power conversion of 21.88% compared to 19.1% for cells not treated with the capsaicin. Not only that, but it also made the solar cells more stable, allowing them to retain more than 90% of their efficiency after 800 hours, and reducing energy leaks due to heat. 

In addition, according to Tsutomu Miyasaka of the University of Yokohama, there are also other natural compounds currently being tested to check if they have boosting effects similar to capsaicin. So don’t be surprised if you soon read about some other everyday spice being added to solar panels in the near future!

chili flakes

All of these findings mean that capsaicin could be a great alternative way to increase solar panel efficiency and give a boost to the solar  industry. This natural, inexpensive, and sustainable solution could make solar panels more accessible and cheaper in the very near future.

If you are interested in learning more about solar energy systems or in finding affordable and efficient solar panels, Go Solar Energy can help. We will make the long process of researching  all the different types of solar panels, their efficiency, and the warranties offered by different companies much easier for you – just give us a few minutes and we will compare everything for you. We’ll set you up with a local agent who will go over all available plans to help you find the solar energy system that best suits your needs and finances. To get started, enter your zip code on our homepage, or to speak directly to one of our agents call (888) 290-3112.

The Best Way To Clean Solar Panels

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Solar panels are a great investment that, if taken care of properly, will last a lifetime. In order to ensure that they last, you have to keep them clean. Solar panels can collect dust, pollen, bird droppings, and more, all of which could affect their performance. 

Keeping your solar panels clean is fairly simple, and might not always require a trip up a ladder. Consider the last time that you cleaned your roof – you’ve probably never done it, right?  This is  because the rain cleans it for you. What you may have had to clean, though, is the gunk that builds up in your gutters. The same goes for solar panels: they are kept somewhat clean by the rain, but for hard to remove dirt, such as bird droppings, you will have to clean the panels yourself. There are some things to consider before getting on your roof to clean your solar panels. You need to make sure that you are safe and that you are properly cleaning the solar panels and not damaging them.

clean solar panels on a red tin roof

You need to keep your solar panels clean because dirty panels are actually less efficient than clean ones. Dirt and debris affect how much sunlight can get through the solar panel to convert the light into energy. It may be only a 5% reduction in efficiency, but why settle for any loss of efficiency if you don’t have to? If your solar panels are cleaned once or twice a year, you will see a 3-5% increase in electricity production.

How To Clean Panels

When it comes to cleaning your solar panels, there are two routes you can take: hire a professional or do it yourself. Luckily, a lot of companies offer the service to you for free as part of an annual maintenance service. But if you decide that you want to do it yourself, it might be a good idea to check with the solar manufacturer or company to see if there are any special considerations to take into account when cleaning. Some things to consider are:

mans hand holding a green hose with water coming out of it
  • Solar panels can become very hot when the sun is shining on them,  so you should clean them in the morning or the evening. Try to pick a cool day to clean them.
  • Plain water works best to clean them, so first try your garden hose to remove the dust and dirt. Do not use any type of high-pressure water sprayer.
  • If the garden hose does not work for a tough spot, then you’ll have to head up your ladder and gently clean the panels with a soft cloth or sponge. Do not use anything that is hard or has bristles so that you don’t scratch the panels. Fill a spray bottle or bucket with warm water and a very small amount of a mild soap, like dish soap. It is best to use dish soap because any other soap may interact negatively with your solar panels.
  • Do not touch the wiring underneath the panels.

Solar panels are installed at an angle, so the rain generally does a good job of keeping them clean. That being said, a study conducted by Google found that relying on the rain to keep your panels clean is not sufficient, especially when it comes to stubborn dirt. They found that solar panels that were cleaned professionally had a 12% higher output of electricity than those that were cleaned only by the rain.

When To Clean Your Panels

In order to keep your panels as clean as possible, you have to consider where you live. If you live:

map of the U.S.
  • In the Southwest, the accumulation of dirt is greater than in other areas of the US, meaning that you will need to clean your panels more often, probably about 1-2 times a year.
  • Near the freeway or any sort of factory, then your solar panels will need to be cleaned more often.
  • In an area where fall leaves drop and winter snow occurs, then you need to clean all of that off of your panels. If you live in one of these areas, then you will also need to do an annual spring cleaning.

The best way to know when it is time to clean your panels is to monitor changes in your power output. If there is a sudden decrease in output, odds are your panels need to be cleaned.

Cleaning solar panels is not a lot of work, and it is not hard to do. Most of the time the rain washes away any dirt and debris, but in the rare instances that you do have to clean them, it can be easily done. Whether you choose to clean them yourself or have a professional take care of it, it needs to be done. Otherwise, your panels will not be operating as efficiently as they could be, and you could end up losing money in the long run.

Do Solar Panels Produce Power In The Winter?

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Some people assume that heat is required for solar panels to produce power, and that solar panels are therefore useless in the winter. In reality, solar panels require light, not heat, to produce energy, so solar panels will still work during the winter months. However, because winter days are shorter than summer days, meaning there is less sunlight, solar panels will not produce quite as much energy in the winter as they will in the summer. Heavy snow falls could also affect your panels, but there are ways to get around that issue. There are actually even positive effects on your output from the snow!

More Efficient When Cold

caucasian hand with a pen pointing at a graph and chart on a piece of paper

Not only do photovoltaic (PV) solar panels not require heat to produce energy, but they actually work more efficiently when it is cold outside. Manufacturers rate their solar panels for a peak temperature, and once the temperature of the panels rises above that peak temperature, their efficiency for creating electricity decreases. It is less likely that solar panels will ever reach this peak temperature during the winter, meaning they’re more likely to perform more efficiently. This could be the reason that solar panels are so popular in some of the coldest states!

What About the Snow?

If your panels are covered with a lot of snow, then they will not generate any energy because sunlight will be unable to hit the panels. This is one of the reasons that solar panels are installed at an angle. This makes it easy for snow to just slide right off of the solar panels. If the snow does not come off, then there are snow removal tools that you can use to clear your panels. Remember, this should only be done with a solar panel roof rake or by a professional so that you do not injure yourself or damage the panels.

solar panels with snow on the ground

Solar panels that are covered entirely with a thick layer of snow will not produce energy, but a smaller amount of snow on or around your panels can actually increase their output. The amount of sunlight that is reflected back when it hits certain types of surfaces, also known as the albedo effect, is greater when there is snow on the panel. When solar panels are surrounded by snow they end up absorbing twice the amount of light, which increases the energy output of the panels. 

Quality Matters

If you are looking for a solar energy system in a cold climate, then your best bet is to go with quality panels that offer the most efficiency. Go Solar Energy knows exactly how to help. Our agents are trained to compare panels from multiple companies across the nation in order to find the best match for your house and area. We will make sure that you have a solar energy system installed that will maximize your solar power production during the winter months. To start saving on your electric bills, enter your zip code on the homepage, or to speak directly to one of our agents call (888) 290-3112.