R. Dr. Francisco Sá Carneiro
Zona Industrial de Bouro - Letra C
4740-010 Esposende, Portugal
Solar Wash Protect
2 in 1 biodegradable solution: cleans organic soiling and protects the solar panels
Solar panels, including rooftops, ground-mounted, and floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems, are among the most efficient and environmentally friendly ways to generate electricity. However, proper maintenance is crucial to ensure optimal performance. The main cause of electricity production losses is soiling. Organic soiling, such as dust, bird droppings, pollen, carbon deposits, and other debris, is most commonly found. The buildup of soiling reduces panel performance and can affect their lifespan.
Solar Wash Protect (SWP) by Chemitek is a certified, concentrated, pH neutral, readily biodegradable, and environmentally friendly solution designed to help you keep your solar panels clean and minimize their maintenance and cleaning costs. The unique formula of SWP not only cleans a wide range of organic soiling but also provides a protective antistatic and antiadherent coating. This coating reduces the buildup of soiling between cleanings and makes the next cleaning easier, ensuring higher performance, longer lifespan, and less effort for subsequent maintenance.
Problem with bird droppings? We have the solution!
Problem with dust? We have the solution!
Tested for solar panels by ÉMI-TÜV Sud
Certified for solar panels by independent laboratories – tested by ÉMI-TÜV Sud. SWP has been proven safe for all panel components (e.g., aluminum frame, anti-reflective coating, and silicone seals), does not interfere with light transmission, and the antistatic and antiadherent coating effectively reduces dust buildup and adhesion. It is suitable for all types of installations, including floating PV systems. For FPV applications, an ecotoxicity study conducted by the Centre for Waste Valorization (CVR) confirmed that SWP is safe for the aquatic fauna and flora commonly present under floating solar panels, making it fully safe for use in floating PV environments.
Approved by PV manufacturers
The Solar Wash Protect is the only solar cleaning product approved by the biggest PV manufacturers themselves! The SWP has 17 letters of conformity from the manufacturers below:
- Aiko
- Astroenergy
- Canadian Solar
- CSun
- Evvosolar
- GCL
- JA Solar
- Jinko
- LonGi
- Renesola
- Risen
- Seraphim
- SunTech
- Trina Solar
- Ureco
- Zn Shine
This solution was developed for solar cleaning professionals working on:
- All scales: Residential, C&I and Utility and Floating PV
- All locations: ground, rooftop and floating
- Manual and robotic cleaning methods
If you are a solar cleaning professional looking for ways to increase the performance and differentiate your services, the Solar Wash Protect is the right product for you. It will reduce the amount of brushing needed, reduce water used per panel by up to 50% and protect the modules for 6 months. This leads to faster cleaning with less effort, more cleanings per load of resin or RO membrane, and happier clients!
The certification and letters of conformity provide peace of mind that warranties are not voided and no liability is incurred for existing or future damages.
Cleans a wide range of organic soiling...
Solar Wash Protect uses an advanced liquid technology to break down and dissolve a wide range of organic dirt from the surface of your solar panels, such as dust, bird droppings, pollen, bees’ wax, tree sap, grease, carbon deposits and other contaminants.
… and increases the performance up to 5%
The antistatic and antiadherent coating in the SWP makes future cleanings easier, keeps PV installations cleaner between cleanings, reduces cleaning time, and decreases water consumption by up to 50%. When compared to a water-only cleaning, it allows an increase in solar panel performance of up to 5%, resulting in significant economic benefits for the solar plant owner.
Floating PV Applications
Floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems require cleaning solutions that are both effective and safe for aquatic environments. Solar Wash Protect fully meets these requirements. An ecotoxicity study conducted by the Centre for Waste Valorization (CVR) confirmed that SWP is safe for the aquatic fauna and flora typically present beneath FPV structures. The study found that a water column of only 6cm under the panels is required to remain below the safety threshold—far less than the average depth of over 1m in most FPV plants.
Bird activity is typically higher on floating installations, leading to faster accumulation of organic soiling, especially bird droppings. SWP’s cleaning formula efficiently removes this soiling, while its antistatic and antiadherent coating reduces adhesion for future cleanings. This makes maintenance faster and easier, lowers O&M costs, and improves overall energy yield of the FPV installation. It is therefore fully safe and highly effective for use in floating PV environments.
How does it work?
Solar Wash Protect uses advanced liquid technology that, together with the mechanical action of the bristles, breaks down and dissolves the soiling. This concentrated formula is highly effective and can be diluted at different ratios to suit your specific cleaning needs. Simply mix the product with water (demineralized water is not required), spray it on the surface of the panels, brush thoroughly and finally rinse with soft water! The panels are now perfectly cleaned and the coating will protect the modules during the next 6 months.
Benefits:
- Effectively removes organic soiling from solar panels
- Can be used on all types of solar panels (photovoltaic and thermal)
- Safe and non-toxic formula that will not damage the panels
- Provides a protective coating that helps reduce the soiling buildup
- Saves time and water during the cleaning
- Keeps the panels cleaner between cleaning, improving their performance
Industries & Applications
- Cleaning and protection of photovoltaic panels, solar thermal panels, photovoltaic tiles, etc.
- Solar panel cleaning companies
- PV plants with their own O&M teams
Available Formats
2kg drum
5kg drum
20kg drum
1000kg IBC
Available Concentrations
Solar Wash Protect 50 - dilution ratio 1:50
Solar Wash Protect 300 - dilution ratio 1:300
Dilution ratio 1:50
Dilution ratio 1:300
Solution ready-to-use
FAQs
The surface of photovoltaic solar panels must be clean to ensure full operation and maximum performance. Any kind of soiling that may be on the surface of the solar module, be it dust, pollen, tree sap, bird droppings, sand, salt crystals, etc., will reduce the light transmission, i.e. reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the solar module cells, and thus the panel will produce less energy.
To the naked eye the panels may appear clean, however there will be soiling accumulated, even if it is just the air pollution itself. A simple test to see if your panel is in need of cleaning is to wipe the surface of the panel with a white cloth or cotton pad before the actual cleaning.
According to recent studies, when a solar panel is very dirty it can lose up to 50% of its efficiency compared to a clean solar panel. However, the Worldwide average energy loss due to soiling is 3 to 5%.
In fact, rain or wind will not keep the panels clean. Wind will carry particles that will settle on the panel and rainwater is not enough to remove any incrusted soiling such as bird droppings or pollen. Rainwater can even lead to the appearance of hotspots by accumulating the soiling on the bottom frame of the panels.
For the warranty on your solar panel to remain valid, you should use solar panel cleaners that meet the manufacturers' guidelines and are certified for solar panels, such as Solar Wash Protect.
This means that the products need to be pH neutral, biodegradable and environmentally friendly and have been tested by international laboratories, such as the TÜV Sud.
The Solar Wash Protect is available in two dilution ratios:
· Solar Wash Protect 50 – dilution ratio 1:50 (1 part product in 50 parts of water)
· Solar Wash Protect 300 – dilution ratio 1:300 (1 part product in 300 parts of water)
After dilution, the product is the same. The most common is the SWP50 due to being easier to use. The SWP300 was developed to reduce the shipping costs and it is normally available outside Europe.
According to the cleaning method and the seriousness of the soiling, the dilution can and should be adjusted. For more information, see the Technical Data Sheet and the User Guide.
The SWP antistatic cleaning and protection solution effectively removes organic soiling, such as bird droppings, dust, ash, pollen, salt, bees’ wax, tree sap, grease and carbon deposits.
ChemiTek recommends using between 150mL and 200mL per m² of photovoltaic panel. For example, if you have a PV panel with a surface area of 2 m², the quantity will 300mL to 400mL.
In case of doubt, contact us.
Solar Wash Protect as a cleaning product, in addition to efficiently removing different types of dirt, does not allow dirt to adhere as easily to the surface of the solar panel, due to its antistatic and antiadherent properties. Therefore, it slows down the decrease in the solar panel's power generation between cleanings. Since the soiling does not stick so easily to the surface of the panel, in subsequent cleanings you will notice an easier and faster cleaning.
There are several ways that the SWP can be used with a robot (e.g., Solarcleano F1). Please check the User Guide for the step-by-step instructions.
Yes, Solar Wash Protect is fully suitable for floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems. It has been tested to ensure safe application on panels installed over water, effectively cleaning organic soiling while providing antistatic and antiadherent protection without harming the installation or reducing performance.
Absolutely. An ecotoxicity study conducted by the Centre for Waste Valorization (CVR) confirmed that SWP is safe for the aquatic fauna and flora commonly found in the water bodies beneath floating photovoltaic (FPV) installations.
