{"id":17424,"date":"2017-09-06T21:46:43","date_gmt":"2017-09-06T21:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-154226-463039.cloudwaysapps.com\/ash-on-your-solar-array-what-to-do\/"},"modified":"2018-03-30T18:58:43","modified_gmt":"2018-03-30T18:58:43","slug":"ash-on-your-solar-array-what-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-154226-463039.cloudwaysapps.com\/ash-on-your-solar-array-what-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Ash on Your Solar Array \u2014 What to Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>The Sky Is Falling<\/h3>\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/storyline\/western-wildfires\">wildfires raging though much of the Western United States<\/a>, people from Southern California to British Columbia are surrounded with hazy skies, poor air quality\u2014and in some cases\u2014a sifting of ash over everything in sight.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Residents of Western Washington, where <a href=\"http:\/\/wordpress-154226-463039.cloudwaysapps.com\">Itek Energy<\/a> is headquartered, have taken to social media to post pictures of cars covered in ash, ash falling from the sky on the daily commute, and ash settling on their homes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17526\" src=\"http:\/\/wordpress-154226-463039.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Smokey-Sun-Over-Itek.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress-154226-463039.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Smokey-Sun-Over-Itek.png 196w, https:\/\/wordpress-154226-463039.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Smokey-Sun-Over-Itek-169x300.png 169w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/>A smokey sun over Itek 9\/5\/17<\/p>\n<h3>Impact on Your Solar Production<\/h3>\n<p>Expect a drop in your solar production during this time. Unlike clouds or fog, air pollution from wildfires will absorb light, reducing the amount of light that can reach your solar modules. In addition to the darkening skies, the ash that falls on your system will provide a further barrier to power production.<\/p>\n<h3>Cleaning Guidelines<\/h3>\n<p>As with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.king5.com\/news\/local\/wildfires\/why-you-should-not-wipe-the-ash-off-your-car\/471004401\">ash on your vehicle<\/a>, just brushing the ash off of your solar array is not the best solution.<\/p>\n<p>I asked <a href=\"\/getting-to-know-sam-winters_itek-green-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sam Winters<\/a>, Itek\u2019s Application Engineer, for advice about cleaning up an ash buildup on an active solar array. Sam advises home and business owners to follow the <a href=\"http:\/\/wordpress-154226-463039.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2016\/08\/Itek-Energy-Module-Cleaning-Guidelines.pdf\">Itek Energy Module Cleaning Guidelines<\/a> to safely and effectively remove the ash buildup. Here are some highlights from that document:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17527\" src=\"http:\/\/wordpress-154226-463039.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Welcome-Sam-Winters_banner-277363-edited.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"320\" height=\"118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress-154226-463039.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Welcome-Sam-Winters_banner-277363-edited.png 320w, https:\/\/wordpress-154226-463039.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Welcome-Sam-Winters_banner-277363-edited-300x111.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/>Sam Winters, Aplications Engineer<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make sure you perform this task in the morning or on an overcast day. Cleaning while the modules are hot could result in rapid cooling which could damage the modules.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Use soft, non-abrasive materials such as a microfiber mop. Avoid metal tools as they will scratch your module.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Water is usually enough to clean off the average solar array, however to get rid of the ash, you may want to use a cleaning product. If so, it is very important to find a product that is:\n<ul>\n<li>Non-Abrasive<\/li>\n<li>pH Neutral<\/li>\n<li>Biodegradable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dish soap works great. There are plenty of products on the market that will meet the case, but it is important to note that a \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 product that does not meet these criteria could damage your modules. Products that contain chemicals or solvents like Rain-X \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 or Windex should <strong>never<\/strong> be used.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Once you have cleaned your modules, rinse them thoroughly to avoid leaving any residue behind. Unlike your car, your modules do not have a paint job to protect, but they do have a textured glass where minerals can collect. So it is always important to use a squeegee to scrape off any remaining water which can deposit sediments and leave a splotching effect on the glass.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And most importantly&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Always use caution and proper fall protection<\/strong> if roof access is required for cleaning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Stay Safe Out There<\/h3>\n<p>With no immediate relief in sight, it is important to protect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/disasters\/wildfires\/duringfire.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">yourself<\/a> and your <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nfpa.org\/public-education\/by-topic\/wildfire\/wildfire-safety-tips\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">property<\/a> from wildfires and wildfire smoke.<span style=\"text-align: center; background-color: transparent;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"text-align: center; background-color: transparent;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"hs-responsive-embed hs-responsive-embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"hs-responsive-embed-iframe\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XR2DhoWsxo4\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-service=\"youtube\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10px; text-align: center; background-color: transparent;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent;\">Eagle Creek, OR Fire &#8211; 12-hr Timelapse<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Stay abreast of your local air quality reports and limit your outdoor activity if there is heavy smoke in your area. Children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with respiratory or heart conditions are most at risk of being affected by smoke. Check in with neighbors and friends who may be vulnerable to the effects of smoke.<\/p>\n<p>Fighting climate change is becoming more and more important, and as a user of solar power, you are contributing to that effort. At Itek, we&#8217;re here to support you. Contact us if you have any questions about our U.S.-built, high-efficiency modules or optimizing your solar array for more energy yeild.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Sky Is Falling With wildfires raging though much of the Western United States, people from Southern California to British Columbia are surrounded with hazy skies, poor air quality\u2014and in some cases\u2014a sifting of ash over everything in sight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":17445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,47,1,55],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ash on Your Solar Array \u2014 What to Do? 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