New Guide for Standard Guide for Solar Panel Cleaning Safety
1. Scope
The scope of this guide includes the development of occupational safety and health guidelines for the solar panel cleaning industry and tasks commonly associated with this occupation such as general inspections, thermal imaging, bird proofing, solar panel replacement, DC connector replacements, Junction box inspections, coating applications, anchor installations, and similar. The solar panel cleaning industry is comprised of 3 main segments residential, commercial & Industrial, and utility-scale (aka solar farms) which are divided into 2 areas 1) Wet Cleaning 2) Dry Cleaning. Solar panel cleaning is not limited to cleaning with water but also includes the application of coatings and other similar products that reduce soiling levels also known as solar cleaning technologies. These guidelines will also include safety guidelines for operating solar panel cleaning equipment.
Keywords
solar panel cleaning, PV module cleaning, photovoltaic cleaning, PV surface cleaning, Solar panel cleaning health, Solar panel cleaning safety, PV module cleaning safety
Rationale
As the United States and the world adopt solar energy, solar panel cleaning grows as a new trade and industry. However solar panel cleaning changes the surface cleaning paradigm in multiple ways. The main reason solar panels and PV surfaces are cleaned is for performance. Dirty photovoltaic surfaces underperform. However, cleaning an electrified surface poses a new risk that is not typically seen in the pressure washing and window cleaning industries. The risks associated with cleaning an electrified surface should be assessed and analyzed.
