The lightbulb moment happened on my own roof.
Hey, I'm Marquis Mason, founder of Solar Alchemist. I spent two months watching my own solar system underperform before one simple cleaning flipped the switch. Now I help homeowners and businesses across Southern Wisconsin get every kilowatt-hour they paid for.
Featured in In Business Madison · Aug 2026
Wisconsin's capital-region business magazine ran a full-page profile of Solar Alchemist under the headline “Playing a Clean Game”, covering the origin story, the +22% efficiency lift on Marquis's own panels that started it all, the Wisconsin State Capitol job, and where the business is headed next.
“That's been the most rewarding thing, just jumping into a completely different field that I didn't go to school for, that I had no background in, and then learning on the fly.”
The lightbulb moment
I invested in a very expensive solar system: 34 panels that were supposed to take a real bite out of my electric bill. They didn't. The monitoring app kept coming in under the installer's projections, and the bill barely moved.
So I did everything you're supposed to do. I called the installer. I watched the app. I gave it two full billing cycles to catch up. Nothing changed, and nobody could tell me why.
Finally I bought an 11-inch water-fed brush, hooked it to my garden hose, and cleaned the panels myself.
The next day, the lightbulb went on.
83.3 kWh, up from 68.1 kWh the day before.
+22% production. Grid exports nearly doubled.
Measured on my own Dane County array, May 7 → May 8, 2025.
One cleaning. That number is why Solar Alchemist exists.
A caveat, because honesty matters
One day of monitoring isn't a scientific test, weather, cloud cover, and temperature all shift what a panel reads on any given afternoon. But the numbers above are what the app actually showed me, the trend held over the following weeks, and it was a big enough jump that I couldn't un-see it. That's the moment I realized how much production my system had been quietly losing, and it's the moment Solar Alchemist started.
Something that simple had been costing me that much, and I had no idea. I went looking for a company in Southern Wisconsin that did this professionally: insured, manufacturer-matched, and honest about when a cleaning will and won't make a difference. I couldn't find one.
So before the month was out, I started one.
Turning the idea into a business
The garden hose got results, but I learned it wasn't the right tool. Tap water leaves mineral spots that start the buildup all over again. So I switched to pure deionized water, which dries spot-free, and built the rest of the business around doing it right:
- OSHA-trained, with $2M in liability coverage.
- A pole-fed system that cleans from the ground or the roof — no one ever walks on your panels.
- Manufacturer-matched methods based on manufacturers' published cleaning guidelines.
A year in, I cleaned the Wisconsin State Capitol's rooftop array. It was installed in 2009 and hadn't been cleaned in 17 years. Using my own irradiance meter, I documented 16.7% more sunlight reaching the glass — a same-panel spot reading, not a system-wide production claim — with the same equipment I bring to your home.
What started as frustration with my own system became a business built so other owners don't have to figure it out the hard way.
The science behind the craft
Solar cleaning looks simple from the ground. It isn't. There are three things I read up on constantly, and each one shapes how a visit actually goes:
- 01
Water chemistry. Madison tap water runs about 18–22 grains per gallon (MG&E's published range). Rinse that onto a cool panel and the calcium and magnesium still dry into a translucent film that a rainstorm cannot lift. I use pole-fed 100% deionized water, ionically stripped, so the rinse dries spot-free every time.
- 02
Electrical physics. Residential arrays are wired in series strings. One shaded cell can flip a bypass diode and knock 30–40% of a branch offline until the obstruction is gone. That's why I look for soiling gradients, drip-line streaking, and pine-needle dams as carefully as I look at the glass itself.
- 03
Safety. OSHA fall-protection training and $2M general liability coverage on every visit. Pole-fed from the ground or roof, zero foot traffic on your glass, panels cooled before contact, and manufacturers' published cleaning methods honored to the letter so your warranty documentation stays clean.
“Care for what rain leaves behind” isn't a slogan. It's literally what the physics and chemistry demand.
My Mission
I'm just a local guy who wants to make sure everyone in my community is getting every penny out of their expensive system. It hurts to see a great investment underperform because most owners have never been told what rain actually does and does not lift off the glass.
At Solar Alchemist, I treat your roof like my own. I'm here to make sure your panels are crystal clear so you can turn every bit of sunshine into pure savings.
What I Believe
Three rules I run this company by.
- 01
Rain doesn't clean solar panels. NREL research confirms it, pollen, hard-water minerals, and bird droppings need mechanical cleaning. Most owners are losing 5–15% production every year and don't know it.
- 02
You hired me to fix a problem, not to upsell you. If your panels are already clean enough that cleaning won't move the needle, I tell you. Your trust is worth more than a $200 job. (The Wisconsin State Capitol's panels hadn't been touched in 17 years, that's when you call.)
- 03
Manufacturer-matched methods, every time. Pole-fed 100% deionized water through manufacturer-matched contact tooling, never pressure washers. A manufacturer-matched surfactant only when the buildup calls for it. Panels cooled before cleaning. I follow the guidelines manufacturers publish in their own warranty documentation. If something goes wrong on a job, I own it and make it right.
When you book me, here's what to expect
- 1A real conversation first. I'll text or call to learn about your system. No pressure, no upsell scripts.
- 2An on-site assessment on job day. I'll check roof access and current soiling, and confirm your quote in writing before any work starts — no separate trip needed.
- 3Before-and-after photos and a visual inspection. Every job is documented, and I'll flag anything I spot, like cracked glass, loose wiring, or critter damage, so you see exactly what I see.
Honest Scope
What I don't do.
I'd rather refer you to the right person than pretend I'm the right person for everything. Solar Alchemist is a cleaning + light-inspection company, here's what I'll always send you elsewhere for:
- •Solar panel installs or expansions. I'm happy to recommend the local installer I respect most.
- •Inverter, optimizer, or electrical repairs. That's a licensed electrician's job, and your warranty almost certainly requires one.
- •Panel removal & reinstall (for re-roofing). That's a structural job. Your installer or roofer handles it.
- •Snow removal from panels. Snow on glass + brushes = scratch risk. I let nature handle it.
If your panels just need to be clean, producing, and protected, that's me. For anything else, I'll tell you who's better.
Sincerely,
Marquis Mason
Founder, Solar Alchemist