Parts of VIC, NSW and SA were recently hit by an intense dust storm. We found first hand that dusty panels generate less than half the normal solar output for a system mounted on a relatively flat roof in Victoria.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Canberra and parts of Melbourne were later hit by a hail storm, where hailstones bigger than golf balls smashed car windows and sky lights. While solar panels are designed to withstand hail, they can be damaged once hailstones become the size of golf balls. Thankfully many home and business insurance policies do cover this type of damage.
Now is a good time to check your solar system’s output. This can be done by checking the digital display on your inverter, logging into the manufacturers web portal or requesting a report from your solar provider. Although output various depending on panel orientation, shading and other factors, as a rule of thumb, in the middle of a bright sunny day - a 10kW system should generate at least 8kW or 8000W on the inverter’s digital display or at least 2kWh or 2000Wh for a 15 minute interval on the web portal graph or report. A 20kW system will generate twice these numbers and a 5kW system half.
If you suspect your system is working poorly due to dust you can either:
- Wait for the next heavy rainfall (assuming that is not too far away) and check output again.
- If you can safely access the panels, wash them with a hose. Do not use a pressure washer as this can cause damage.
Have the panels cleaned by a professional cleaning company.