Notes from the roof.

What I write about

Everything I post here comes directly from the roof — real jobs, real production numbers, and the questions Dane County homeowners and Southern Wisconsin facility managers actually email me. I don't publish filler and I don't publish affiliate roundups. If a topic made it onto this page, it's because a customer asked, or because a seasonal pattern (pollen, road salt, farm dust, winter storm residue) changed how a specific array is producing.

Topics I cover regularly

• Soiling-loss math for Wisconsin: what rain actually lifts off the glass vs. what bakes on, with published research behind the numbers.
• Panel manufacturer cleaning requirements: what the major manufacturers publish in their manuals — and which DIY shortcuts can void a warranty.
• Seasonal timing: when to clean after the spring pollen bloom, after harvest dust, and before the shorter days of fall.
• Honest trade-offs: when cleaning won't pay, how to spot panels that are failing instead of just dirty, and when the right answer is a warranty claim instead of a cleaning.

Who it's for

Residential solar owners deciding whether rain is really doing the job on their rooftop. Facility managers whose production guarantee requires documented maintenance. Installers trying to answer the maintenance question when a customer calls six months after commissioning. If you fall into any of those categories, the archive below is written for you.