Solar Panel Cleaning by Drone for Solar Farms, Rooftops & Carports

Questions We Get

Straight answers.

How often should solar panels be cleaned in Texas?

It depends on the site. Fields near caliche roads, agricultural operations or heavy pollen load soil faster than a rooftop in a city. Most Texas sites benefit from one to two cleanings a year timed after the spring pollen peak and the dry late-summer stretch. We recommend a cadence after the first cleaning, once we have your before-and-after output data.

Does rain clean solar panels?

Not reliably. Light rain wets the film and lets it dry back in place, and Texas dust and pollen bond to the glass between rains. A DI water rinse removes what rain leaves behind.

Can you pressure wash solar panels?

No, and we do not. High pressure can stress frames, seals and junction boxes and can void a module warranty. AES uses low-pressure deionized water with no brushes and no abrasives.

What do you clean the panels with?

Deionized water, which carries no dissolved minerals and dries spot-free. Where a site needs more than water for bird droppings or heavy organic film, we use a panel-safe, residue-free formulation and provide the Safety Data Sheet before the job.

Do we need to shut the system down?

Generally no. We clean energized systems using water-only methods at low pressure from the air, with no one touching the modules or wiring. If your site rules or the inverter manufacturer require a shutdown window for cleaning, we schedule inside it.

How is solar panel cleaning priced?

Per panel, with a project minimum and sales tax itemized. Price per panel falls with module count and with a recurring program. Inspection is quoted separately so you can take the cleaning alone, the inspection alone, or both on the same visit.

Drone cleaning versus tractor brushes or robots?

Tractor-mounted brush systems are efficient on flat, uniform fixed-tilt fields with wide access rows. Robots suit a single long row they can live on. Drones cover trackers at any tilt, rooftops, carports, and sites where nothing should drive between the piles, and they clean without contacting the glass. Many O&M programs use more than one method; we tell you where drone cleaning is the right fit.

Can AES work under our O&M master agreement?

Yes. AES subcontracts to O&M providers and asset managers, provides a certificate of insurance naming the owner and operator, follows site-specific safety and access rules, and reports in your format. We are Texas VetHUB certified, which counts toward diverse-supplier programs.