Question 1

Do solar panels really need to be cleaned in Wisconsin?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Wisconsin's mix of pollen, agricultural dust, industrial particulate, bird droppings, and snow-melt mineral residue silently builds a film on the glass that blocks 5–15% of production every year (NREL field data). Rain only rinses loose dust; it can't lift baked-on grime. A single warranty-safe cleaning typically restores a year's worth of lost output on day one — verified +16.7% on the Wisconsin State Capitol array.

Question 2

Will rain clean my solar panels?

Accepted Answer

No. Rain washes off loose dust but actually makes long-term soiling worse. Each rainfall leaves hard-water mineral spots and concentrates fine particulates at the panel edges, where they bake into a permanent film. Studies from NREL and IEA-PVPS show rain-only sites still lose 5–15% of annual production to soiling. Mechanical cleaning with deionized water is the only way to fully recover that output.

Question 3

How much output can I recover by cleaning my panels?

Accepted Answer

5–15% on most residential systems and up to 15–20% on agricultural / industrial commercial arrays (NREL field range). Our independently measured cleaning of the Wisconsin State Capitol's 16-year-old rooftop array delivered a +16.7% production lift the same day. For a typical 200-panel commercial site that's $550–$1,700 of lost revenue per year — usually recovered with the first cleaning.

Question 4

Do you use chemicals on the panels?

Accepted Answer

No. Solar Alchemist uses 100% deionized pure water with soft-rotary brushes — never harsh chemicals, never abrasive pads, never high-pressure water. Deionized water has no minerals to leave spots and lifts soiling on its own; the soft brushes contact only the glass surface. This is the only method explicitly approved by every major panel manufacturer (LG, Panasonic, SunPower, REC, LONGi, JinkoSolar).

Question 5

Does cleaning void my solar panel warranty?

Accepted Answer

No — our method preserves every major manufacturer warranty. Chemical cleaners, abrasive pads, pressure-washing, and any foot traffic on the glass all void panel warranties. We use none of those. The deionized water + soft-rotary brush method is the only technique explicitly recognised as safe by panel manufacturers and is documented in our written Warranty Preservation Rule provided with every quote.

Question 6

Do you clean commercial solar arrays?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We clean commercial, agricultural, government, and multi-site arrays from 100 to 5,000+ panels across Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. Every commercial site receives a custom written bid within 24 hours — no published per-panel rate. Net-30 invoicing on commercial accounts; Certificate of Insurance (COI), W-9, and procurement documentation provided on request. The Wisconsin State Capitol is one of our reference installations.

Get Your Instant Solar Scrub Price

Lock in your annual or bi-annual cleaning — save 5–10%.

Larger array? Switch to the for a custom 24-hour written bid.

Get Your Instant Solar Scrub Price

Lock in your annual or bi-annual cleaning — save 5–10%.

Larger array? Switch to the Commercial tab for a custom 24-hour written bid.

Larger array? Switch to the for a custom 24-hour written bid.