Does lichen on solar panels affect performance?

If you have solar panels on a home in Chippenham, Calne or the surrounding Wiltshire villages, it's worth looking up at them on a clear day. Over the years, lichen and moss slowly spread across the glass, starting as small orange or pale-grey spots and gradually spreading, especially along the bottom edge of each panel where moisture sits. Because the panels are out of sight, most homeowners never notice until output starts to drift.

Why lichen matters more than ordinary dirt

General dust and pollen wash off in the rain. Lichen doesn't. It's a living organism that grips the surface and, unlike a film of grime, casts hard shade over parts of the cell. Even partial shading on a panel can drag down the performance of the whole string it's wired into. Left for years, it becomes stubborn and can mark the glass.

How I clean solar panels without going on the roof

I clean panels from the ground using a special detergent with my water-fed pole that reaches up to 45ft. The detergent lifts the lichen, it is then rinsed with pure water leaving a clear finish with no residue left to attract dirt back. Nothing leans on your roof, nothing scratches the glass, and the pump runs on a solar-powered system. It's careful, methodical work, the sort of hard-to-reach job a lot of window cleaners would rather avoid.

Keeping on top of it

Once panels are cleared, lichen tends to creep back over time. On most homes a clean every 6 to 12 months keeps them clear and working as they should. I cover Chippenham, Calne, Malmesbury, Tetbury, Batheaston, Bathford and the villages in between, and I'm the same person at your property every visit.

If your panels are looking speckled, send a photo of the roof and I'll give you a quote: quotes@chippenhamwindowcleaner.co.uk