BalcoNano® Self-cleaning coating on PV panels

Photo voltaic (PV) panels are still an excellent revenue scheme, even with the reduction of tariffs. The long term investment pays off, as long as the electricity production of the panels remains in the band of expectation.

When choosing to install a PV system on your roof you are usually presented with the expected yield or manufacture capabilities of the system you choose. This depends on the number and size of your panels, the region in which you live and the angle/direction of installation.

We have seen production reduced as much as 65% when the panels get dirty. This can turn a profit generating system into a loss if you do not watch out. And therefore a regular cleaning regime must also be part of the calculation of PV systems if you want to maintain maximum production.

Testing BalcoNano® 

Recently we tested using the BalcoNano® self-cleaning glass coating on some of our panels that are  installed on our building roofs, a 55KW (kilowatt) and a separate 27.5KW system. Having a “solar edge” monitoring system installed allows us to see production from specific panel groups and compare them to other panel groups.

We decided to see if the coating, which we regularly use on balustrade and window system would keep the panels cleaner. This will show up in production numbers of the coated panels as opposed to the uncoated panels between cleaning cycles.

The test was carried out by comparing 30 uncoated panels compared with 30 panels coated with BalcoNano® hand applied coating using the BalcoNano® sachets. The panel manufacturer is Sharp and the panel model is NDR-245W. The test was carried out between May 2012 and July 2012.

An amazing difference

We were in fact quite surprised by the results. Over a three months period which we did not clean the panels period the uncoated panels production reduced by 28% whereas the coated panel production reduced by only 6%! An amazing difference.

In addition to this fact when we came to clean the panels after the three months the coated panels took minutes to clean as they only required a quick wipe with a wet cloth, whereas the uncoated panels took substantially longer requiring soap and scrubbing.

To summarize on the subject of ROI and yield calculation on PV systems it is important to include a cleaning regime and cost that into your expenditures. A good way to reduce cleaning cycle and maintenance costs on the glass of the PV panels is to apply a self-cleaning coating such as the BalcoNano® coating to the panels.