Clean panels make 15–25% more power.
South Florida is the worst place in the country for solar panel soiling, and it’s not close. We have palm pollen for half the year, salt mist from both coasts, summer dust from the Sahara, and bird traffic that no other US metro can match. None of it washes off with rain.
NREL field data from comparable tropical climates shows panels lose 15–25% of output within 12–18 months of installation if uncleaned. At South Florida solar PPA rates that’s $400–900 per year on a typical residential array. A $149 cleaning pays for itself in the first month after service.
What we use, what we don’t.
We use:
- De-ionized water filtered to < 5 ppm TDS
- Soft micro-fibre brush head on telescoping carbon-fibre pole
- Light pressure, vertical strokes only
- Soft brushes for stubborn bird residue
We don’t use:
- Pressure washers
- Detergents or surfactants
- Abrasive pads or scrapers
- Tap water as a final rinse
Every method we use is specified in the major panel manufacturers’ published cleaning guidelines.
Pricing.
- Up to 10 panels: flat $149
- 11–30 panels: $14 per panel
- 31+ panels: $11 per panel
- Steep-pitch surcharge (> 6/12): +20%
- Heavy bird-soiling pre-treatment: +$45
Annual plans available — twice-yearly cleaning at $24/panel/year (2 visits). Pays for itself in the first quarter.
When to clean.
In South Florida: twice a year is the sweet spot. Once after the dry season pollen wave (May), once after the wet season algae bloom (October). If you’re under heavy palm cover or near saltwater, quarterly.
The production-gain guarantee.
If your monitoring shows less than a 10% gain in daily kWh output on a comparable-irradiance day within 14 days of cleaning, we refund the visit cost in full. We can do this because we know the chemistry — and because dirty panels in South Florida are genuinely costing you more than you think.
