Chemitek CEMENT REMOVAL AGENT

The surface of photovoltaic solar panels must be clean to ensure full operation and maximum efficiency. Any kind of dirt 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 power.

To the naked eye, the panels may appear clean, however, there will be dirt accumulated, even if it is just the air pollution itself. A simple test to see if your panel needs 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, an energy loss of 10 to 15% can be observed in panels with some dirt.

In fact, rain or wind alone does not wash the solar panels. The wind carries dust particles, and the rain, specially in small quantities, will catch any dust in the air and, when it dries, will leave dirt spots, thus making the solar system less efficient.

A simple way to illustrate why the weather alone does not wash out the solar panels is to look at the windshield of your car. If you leave your windshield dirty for a long time, you will lose visibility due to accumulated dirt, but thanks to the cleaner that you apply and the windshield wiper, you can wash the glass and regain visibility in no time!

In this way, the solar panels are like the windshields of your car, except that they do not have readily available liquid for washing the solar panels associated with the windshield wiper.

For the warranty on your solar panel to remain valid, you should use solar panel cleaners that meet the manufacturers' requirements, such ChemiTek’s products.

However, as a rule of thumb, use products with a neutral pH, that are tested by international laboratories and approved by the solar panel manufacturers themselves. This will rule out any negative effect of their use on washing solar panels.

Adjust the dilution of the product according to the harshness of the problem. Do a test in a small area to check which dilution is best for your case. It is preferable to leave the product on the module longer than to use a lower dilution. Start with a dilution of 1 to 2 (1kg of CRA in 2 litres of water) and check the behaviour. If it is not strong enough to start removing the cement with ease, then reduce the dilution to 1 kg of CRA in 1 litre of water or even 1kg of CRA in 0,5 litres of water. In very extreme cases, the product can be used without dilution as a last resort measure. ChemiTek advises against it.

CRA is a removal agent for cement dust, stone dust, hard water stains,rust, and other alkali contaminants that are cured on the surface of the glass of solar modules.

Cement Removal Agent is a biodegradable product designed to be as delicate as possible with the components of the solar module (ARC, silicone, and aluminium frame). The product reacts chemically only with the contaminants and emulsions the particles so that they can be rinsed off easily.

In case of doubt, contact us.

CRA is a remediation product, and it should be used as such. To avoid the reappearance of the problem, you should act preventively and protect the modules with an antistatic coating such as the Antistatic Solar Armor from ChemiTek.