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The increasing attention to sustainability has led to a greater awareness of energy efficiency and renewable energy use, both in the public and private sector.

This growing sensibility of the need for applying sustainable habits has driven the majority of businesses to look into the installation of solar panels, sustained by incentives and other specific policies.

So, the number of solar panels grow more and more on the roofs, but what is the best way to take care of them? It’s certain that the build up of dirt, dust, pollution and pollen decrease their efficiency if left on them for too long time.

Considering that neglecting them involves an immediate energy decrease, we have come up with some tips and tricks to look after your solar panels.

There are two main difficulties the operators face with solar panels:

• Position: they are usually hard to reach since they are positioned to maximise their exposure to sunlight. In addition, the large horizontal surface is makes them difficult to be cleaned;
• Fragility: solar panels are fairly easy to scratch. As this happens, they become ineffective in a short time.

Therefore, a lot of attention should be paid to the cleaning operations.

• Relying on the rain is not an appropriate solution!

Most people think that natural rain is enough to perform an appropriate clean of the solar panels. As a matter of fact, when the panels are placed horizontally, water tends to stagnate, with nowhere to go.

Rain can clear away dust and debris, but in case of encrustation, leaves and water stains, rain can’t do much.

• Water-fed pole

If conjuncted with suspended access equipment or rope techniques, this can be a reasonable solution. It allows the operator to clean the highest surfaces. Moreover, today there are so many remote controlled systems which can avoid the need for rope or other suspended tools.

Don’t forget that the use of distilled or de-ionized wáter is fundamental, so that there’s no deposit of substances or chemical particles on the glass surfaces.

• Simple squeegee

There are many squeegee variants that it’s not recommended to implement the use of any abrasive pads: only soft brushes with extensions should be used, maybe in the late evening or early morning, once or twice a year.

The use of traditional manual equipment may be unworkable, especially in the case of wider surfaces. Operators can end up spending too much time on Cleaning activities if performing the tasks manually, which ultimately results on a loss of time and money for the Business.

• HighPure System

HighPure HPE technology, conceived by IPC Group, allows operators to reach uprights and solar panels with telescopic/modular extension poles. With its exclusive four stage water purification system, this system assures a comfortable clean as well as ensures safety at heights of 15-20 meters from the ground. It offers a self-climbing system, the HighRise, which can be activated by remote control.

Combining this demineralized pure water window cleaning with high pressure washer power, top performances can be obtained with optimal cleaning results.

Through this combined solution, operators can reach windows at significant heigths without having to use ladders or platforms. Finally, there is no need to use chemicals or other types of detergents to achieve perfect cleaning.

If you need more information on our solutions, do not hesitate to contact us at info@ipcworldwide.com