We know solar panels are a big financial investment so it’s only natural you’d want to protect them from any outside harm.
To preserve their lifespan, it’s important to take the proper precautions so your solar panels work like new for years to come.
Various threats to your solar panels exist all over the place. When we conduct maintenance on our clients’ panels, we see a few pop up repeatedly.
To make sure your solar panels are well-protected and secured, here are a few steps you can take.
Use a trusted installer
It goes without saying but the best way to make sure nothing goes wrong with your solar panels is to make sure they were installed properly in the first place. An improper installation can lead to a range of issues further down the line including a shorter panel lifespan, broken components and blown fuses.
Research a few contractors and learn as much as you can about how long they’ve been trading, the types of work they specialise in and if they are certified or accredited by any third-party certifications. The most well-known organisation you should look out for is MCS. This independent quality assurance scheme only registers companies that have proved their commitment and competency in the industry.
A bad contractor will refuse maintenance on your panels or outright disappear after the initial work has been completed. This means you’ll have to call on a more trustworthy company like us to fix your panels. It’s best to avoid the hassle and extra money by getting a quality installation from a company offering regular maintenance and warranties on their products.
You can find MCS-registered contractors here – including us.
Add your solar panels to your home insurance policy
Insurance will give you peace of mind if you have any doubts about your solar panels being stolen, vandalised or damaged by nature. This will protect it from unexpected or unforeseen issues so it’s ideally the first thing you should do when your panels are installed.
Solar panels can be added to your existing home insurance policy as a ‘permanent home fixture’ provided they are roof-mounted and not on the ground. You may want to take out additional accidental damage cover for more protection.
If the additional cost of insurance is deterring you from solar panels, consider that they’re an investment that will save both your energy bills and improve the value of your home if you later decide to sell. It’s a small price to pay for the benefits!
Install an alarm
Unfortunately, much like everything else at your property, your solar panels can be stolen.
While insurance will protect you in the event that they are, you obviously want to deter thieves from attempting or getting away with it in the first place. You can install a motion section alarm to make you aware of any unexpected motion in the area.
The risk of solar panel theft is relatively low; an opportunistic or unprofessional thief is unlikely to pull it off successfully but it’s still possible for a skilled and knowledgeable thief to quickly steal an entire panel swiftly.
Mark your solar panels
Along with an alarm system, you can also mark your solar panels.
Your panels might already come with a unique serial number on each one, in which case you can just write these numbers down so you can identify your stolen panels if they resurface later.
If your panels aren’t uniquely labelled, mark them yourself by safely etching something like an ID number into the metal frame of them.
Trim any foliage overhanging your solar panels
Trees are great but they’re often quite bothersome for solar panels.
If your roof is regularly shaded by nearby trees, this can affect their access to sunlight they can use to generate electricity. A panel system that doesn’t have an inverter will be even more affected by this since shade on one panel will reduce the effectiveness of the whole array.
Your contractor will factor this into their installation plans as well as their estimates of how much electricity you’ll be able to generate from your solar panels.
However, trees can also cause more direct hazards to your solar panels. Branches can fall and crack the glass of your panels or the tree could fall down altogether, landing directly on top of them. One particularly windy day in the UK could spell havoc on your roof and damage your panels.
Mitigate this risk by trimming any obvious overhanging branches.
Deter birds and other animals
Any foliage at your property is also an invitation for birds to nest or perch. While you may enjoy their sights and sounds, you won’t enjoy cleaning your panels after they’re done with them. You could try to deter birds in a number of ways or cut the branches over your roof down.
Pigeons can be particularly troublesome and are known for nesting in unusual places – your solar panels will look like the perfect new home for them. Aside from the mess they make, they’re also able to damage the exposed wires and clips on a solar array. If it’s not pigeons, it could be squirrels or something else.
A mesh barrier or scarecrow will help deter these visitors but you may find something else more effective.
Clean your panels
Over time, dirt and dust will accumulate and lower the effectiveness of your solar panels.
Rain is usually enough to wash any debris away and in the UK you’ll have plenty to help you out. However, dirt can become more persistent if it has the opportunity to dry – especially bird droppings.
You should aim to have your panels cleaned once a year. We recommend you have a professional do this instead of trying it yourself to avoid any personal injury or damage to your panels.
If you want to do it yourself anyway, you can safely reach the roof with a sponge attached to a long pole from the ground. A hose pipe is unlikely to be enough and if you can’t do it safely, hire a professional.
Monitor and maintain your PV system
We like installing panel systems with additional micro-inverter components for a range of reasons. One of them is that you can remotely monitor how each panel is performing from an app like mySolarEdge or myenergi in real-time. This means you can check which panels are doing well and which ones aren’t – even being notified whenever something goes wrong.
When one panel is performing worse than the others, a maintenance team will be able to pinpoint exactly where the problem is and resolve the issue more quickly since they don’t need to troubleshoot the whole system to find it.
Regular maintenance will keep your panels healthy. Having an app at your disposal will also give you peace of mind that your system is performing up to standard.
