Solar & Photovoltaic Panel Cleaning in Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Why is cleaning your solar panels essential?

Photovoltaic installations are designed to capture as much sunlight as possible and convert it into electricity. However, being installed outdoors on rooftops, panels constantly accumulate grime:

• Agricultural and industrial dust: Very common in Nouvelle-Aquitaine due to large-scale farming and harvest activity.
• Spring pollen: It forms a sticky yellow film that reflects light instead of letting it through.
• Bird droppings and lichen: These localised opaque marks create permanent shaded spots that can cause local overheating on the photovoltaic cells (a “hotspot” effect), permanently damaging the modules.
• Limescale and Saharan sand: Carried in by the sandy rains that sometimes reach our region.

Professional studies show that grime build-up on solar panels can cause a drop in output of 5% to 15%, and even up to 25% in high-exposure areas (near roads, fields or livestock buildings). Regular cleaning, at least once or twice a year, helps protect your energy production and maximise the return on your investment.

Using pure, deionised water exclusively for professional cleaning

To wash photovoltaic cells safely, we follow a strict technical protocol. We never use:

• Tap water or well water: It contains minerals and limescale. As it dries, hard water leaves opaque white marks that immediately cut solar output and encourage new grime to stick.
• Harsh chemical detergents: These risk damaging the glass’s anti-reflective coating and corroding the aluminium frames of the modules.
• Direct high pressure or cold water on hot panels: This could cause thermal shock and crack the silicon solar cells.

We use exclusively pure, deionised (reverse osmosis) water. This water, stripped of all impurities through advanced filtration, has strong natural solvent properties. It dissolves dust and pollen without any chemical agents and dries completely clear, leaving no limescale marks whatsoever.

Electric rotary brushing, a gentle and effective method

We clean your panels using a soft-bristle electric rotary brush, continuously fed with pure water: it gently lifts off deposits (dust, pollen, droppings, limescale) without exerting excessive pressure on the glass, and without leaving the slightest scratch on the modules’ anti-reflective coating.

We adapt our access methods to each site:

• For homeowners (residential rooftops): We work from the ground or from secure ladders, using lightweight carbon-fibre telescopic poles fitted with the electric rotary brush and fed with pure water, allowing us to clean panels up to 15 metres high.
• For professionals and farm operators (barns, car park canopies, ground-mounted arrays): We deploy motorised rotary brushes and telescopic poles sized for large surfaces, to efficiently treat vast agricultural barn roofs or ground-mounted solar farms.

Trust Aquit’n Nettoyage with the upkeep of your solar installation and ensure optimal electricity production. Contact us for a free estimate in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.