The dirt and mud covering the solar panels can cause an interruption which directly affects their efficiency. So, residents and businesses are taking action and calling the cleaners immediately. 

 

“I never would have thought I’ve even had to clean my solar panels,” said resident Sarah Bentley. “That was pretty disgusting. It looked like someone dumped a milkshake over it or like cement almost.”

Wash Me Solar owner, Austin Lyon, reported dirt on solar panels can cut their efficiency by as much as 20 percent. “Because of the storm, I mean we’ve got 50, 60 jobs probably on our schedule right now,” he said.

 

The Sandy company said it’s their offseason but they are out on about eight jobs a day because of Friday’s storm. “All the little dust particles cast shadows on the photovoltaic cells. So anywhere those shadows are being cast, it’s limiting the performance in those areas [of the panels],” Lyon added.

 

If you haven’t cleaned up yet, Mother Nature may help out with another storm in the forecast for Friday, bringing with it a 70 percent chance of rain.