Solar energy is one of the best investments of your life, but are you doing enough to protect that investment? Most homeowners think that after installation, their system will run efficiently on its own. If you do not that maintain and proactively care for your solar energy system, it can lose efficiency, causing higher costs and less performance over time.
Solar panels degrade at a rate of 0.5% a year, which means a panel is still typically outputting about 87.5% of its original output after 25 years if maintained properly. (NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory). That has a degradation rate of less than 0.3% per year, and lower-quality panels can degrade at rates of greater than 1% per year. (Solar Magazine).
With over 17 years of experience at Solar Medix, we have witnessed first-hand how small steps can extend the lifespan of solar panels, inverters, and other components. We want to share five tips for getting the most out of your solar energy system. These tips are practical enough to save you money while making your system more efficient, too, so you can count on it to deliver clean energy for years.
Why Maximizing Your Solar Energy System’s Lifespan is Important
Solar energy is an investment that will pay off in the long run. But like any asset with some value, your solar energy system requires maintenance to operate at peak performance now and for many years. But like any value investment, your solar energy system requires some care to ensure that it operates optimally for many years to come.
Once installed, homeowners and businesses expect their systems to remain problem-free with little to no maintenance. However, the efficiency and lifespan of solar panels, inverters, and other components can decline if proper maintenance and preventive measures are not taken.
Failure to carry out preventative maintenance could mean reduced energy output, increased repair costs, and even system failure before the anticipated 30-year lifespan has been achieved. Solar Medix focuses on improving the performance and life of your solar system through specialized care and preventative monitoring.
For more expert insight into keeping your solar system running like a dream year-round, read our blog, Solar System Maintenance Tips for Every Season.
5 Tips to Maximize the Lifespan of Your Solar Energy System
Extending the life of your solar energy system is about more than just turning on the power—it’s about guarding your investment and maximizing long-term savings. Like any other major home system, solar panels and inverters need proactive care to keep them running at peak efficiency. When routine maintenance is neglected, however, the result is often an unexpected breakdown, diminished energy production, and expensive repairs.
Luckily, you can extend the life of your solar setup for a few more decades and keep it in top-running condition! Here are five expert-backed strategies that will help you optimize the performance of your solar energy system while avoiding common mistakes.
- Schedule Regular Maintenance Checks
- Keep Solar Panels Clean and Free of Debris
- Monitor Your System’s Performance Regularly
- Protect Your System from Harsh Weather and Wildlife
- Upgrade Components When Needed
1. Schedule Regular Maintenance Checks
While solar panels and inverters are designed to last, that doesn’t mean they’re totally maintenance-free. Schedule regular maintenance checks to keep your system running at peak performance and to prevent small problems from becoming big and expensive. Regular inspections help catch issues and prevent them early, prolonging the life of your solar components.
What should regular maintenance include?
- Visual inspection: Checking solar panels, inverters, and cables for visible damage or wear
- Checking for loose connections and signs of corrosion
- Testing the inverter and electrical components to ensure efficient energy conversion
- Reviewing system performance data to detect any unusual dips in output
- Updating firmware and software for inverters and monitoring systems
2. Keep Solar Panels Clean and Free of Debris
Dust, dirt, bird droppings, and other debris prevent sunlight from reaching solar panels, leading to a loss of efficiency of up to 25 %. Rain may be able to wash away some dirt, but it is not sufficient to keep panels operating at peak performance.
How can you keep your panels clean?
- Rinse with water to clean off the buildup of any dust
- Cleaning away stubborn dirt (avoid abrasive materials) with a soft cloth or sponge
- Prune surrounding trees to prevent the build-buildup of leaves, pollen , and bird droppings
- Invest in professional solar panel cleaning solutions for any accident-free and detailed cleaning
Fact: According to a University of California study, dirty solar panels can lose efficiency by up to 7% in a month (Source: UC Irvine Renewable Energy Research Lab)
3. Monitor Your System’s Performance Regularly
How can you be sure that your solar system is performing to its full potential? Keeping an eye on your energy output on a regular basis enables you to notice decreased efficiency before it becomes a problem.
What can you do?
- Use an energy monitoring system to track daily output and compare trends
- Look for sudden drops in efficiency, which could indicate a problem
- Set alerts for system errors or inverter malfunctions
- Check your electricity bills to see if your solar savings are consistent with expectations
A monitoring system helps you avoid issues and ensures that your solar investment continues to provide maximum energy savings.
4. Protect Your System from Harsh Weather and Wildlife
While solar panels are built to withstand most harsh weather conditions, extreme weather such as hail, high winds, and heavy snow can be damaging. Hail storms can damage solar panels severely, but if you’re buying high-quality panels, they are generally tested to withstand hailstones of up to 1 inch in diameter dropped at 50 mph. (National Renewable Energy Laboratory – NREL)
Moreover, snow can cover solar panels and (unless the panels are washed regularly) reduce output by about 40-100%, depending on how covered the panels are and the angle. Proper installation and maintenance are key to avoiding the snow and rain issues mentioned (EnergySage). Birds, rodents, and other wildlife can also chew through wiring or settle into little nests under the panels, causing malfunctions.
How can you safeguard your system?
- Adopt wildlife exclusion devices such as protective mesh around panel arrays
- Tape down loose wires to prevent rats from eating their way through the insulation
- Seal the door and any gaps with waterproof sealants
- Assess panel mounting structures after storms to confirm they’re intact
- If you live in an area prone to severe weather, consider investing in hail-resistant panels
Taking these steps is a great way to avoid any unforeseen damage and ensure that all of your solar components last as long as possible.
5. Upgrade Components When Needed
With solar technology constantly changing, some components can be upgraded to increase efficiency and lengthen the lifespan of the system. Old or failing parts—especially inverters—can diminish energy generation, causing expensive inefficiencies.
So when should you think about an upgrade?
- 80% of solar system failures are related to an inverter failure. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the right maintenance and timely replacement to ensure not only the performance but also the longevity of the solar panel system. (Source: EnergySage, 2022). So, if your inverter is more than 10 years old, then replace it with a more efficient model.
- A new battery will hold charge better, improving the reliability of your battery storage system.
- Upgrading from an older monitoring system to smart monitoring technology can speed up the detection of a problem if you’re still using an older monitoring system.
- If the efficiency of those panels has deteriorated, installing additional high-efficiency panels can increase system output.
Maximum performance can be achieved by keeping your system up to date, allowing it to provide many more years of useful life.
Keep Your Solar Energy System Running at Peak Performance
Extending the life of your solar energy system is not only about maximizing the return on your investment but also about ensuring good and uninterrupted access to renewable energy for the coming years. By keeping the equipment well maintained, clean, and monitored, shielding the technology from weather elements and wildlife while designing for upgrades, you can maximize energy savings and minimize large repairs.
A solar system’s efficiency can increase up to 30% with regular maintenance and monitoring, maximizing energy savings. (Source: Solar Power World, 2022). Not just that, A properly maintained solar power system has a lifespan of 40 years, and the ones that have gone through neglect risk losing up to 80% of efficiency in just 15-20 years of downtime. ( International Renewable Energy Agency – IREA)
These preventive actions now will help avoid costly issues in the future. Why wait for a problem to crop up? Go ahead and start getting your solar system checked by top-rated solar panel experts out today!
The Solar Medix Advantage: Your Partner in Solar System Care
Solar Medix offers everything you need, from solar panel maintenance to inverter repairs, system upgrades, and proactive monitoring. We want to help homeowners and companies make the most of their investment in solar energy with our knowledge, expertise, and unmatched service.
Why choose Solar Medix?
- Expert maintenance and repair services to prevent performance issues
- Advanced monitoring solutions to keep your system running efficiently
- Customized upgrade recommendations for better performance and longevity
- Fast response times for troubleshooting and repairs
With Solar Medix, your solar system is in safe hands. Contact us today to schedule a maintenance check or upgrade consultation!
FAQs
Proper maintenance will help you maximize energy savings in your home, reduce repair and maintenance costs, and ensure the best return on your investment for decades.
We provide expert solar system care, fast response times, advanced monitoring solutions, and customized maintenance plans to ensure your system runs at peak efficiency.
