Dirty Solar Panels Waste Clean Energy

Dirty Solar Panels Waste Clean Energy

From The Energy Show by Barry Cinnamon

February 11, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of cleaning solar panels to maximize energy output and save photons.

Consider the poor photons! If your panels are dirty you are causing trillions of premature photonic deaths when they collide with dirt molecules. Please give those photons the chance to knock an electron loose from an eager semi-conductor. Instead of being converted to heat and banished to quantum hell. Save The Photons. Clean Your Solar Panels After just a week, your panels might look slightly dusty. But a light coating of dust doesn't significantly block sunlight. However, severe grime, especially on low-tilt panels, can slash your output by over 25%! You can’t save all the photons all the time, but by watching your solar monitoring system you can tell mathematically -- as well as visually -- when your panels should be cleaned. If you have a larger system in an area with high electric rates and a dry climate, the economics of cleaning become more favorable. When it comes to cleaning solar panels there’s lots of bad advice on the internet…and even from manufacturers. On this week’s podcast we address WHEN you should clean your solar panels, as well as HOW. Please tune into the full “Save The Photons” podcast at www.energyshow.biz. And keep these three things in mind: safety, the…

People in this episode

Host: Barry Cinnamon

Topics covered

  • solar panels
  • cleaning
  • energy efficiency
  • photons
  • solar monitoring
  • economics of cleaning

Keywords

  • solar panels
  • cleaning
  • energy output
  • photons
  • dust
  • grime
  • solar monitoring

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Save The Photons

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