Why is it worth entering PV cleaning? Growing market, recurring revenues, and scalable business models through modern robotic technology.
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When PV Cleaning Pays Off
For Farmers, Commercial and Industrial Businesses
The costs of professional PV cleaning must be weighed against the additional yield of the system. Therefore, it’s not just the price per square meter that is decisive, but primarily the yield losses caused by soiling. For commercial and industrial photovoltaic systems, regular cleaning can be economically beneficial, especially with high levels of soiling. This article shows which factors influence costs and when PV cleaning truly pays off.
The costs for professional PV cleaning usually range between €1 and €3 per square meter for commercial and industrial systems.
However, the price alone is not the decisive factor, but rather the loss of performance due to soiling: In many cases, cleaning is economically viable from a yield loss of around 10–15%.
For typical systems, this means:
Since commercial systems are often cleaned once or twice a year, the question of economic efficiency arises regularly.
The decisive rule of thumb is: Cleaning is always worthwhile if the annual yield loss is higher than the cleaning costs.
Photovoltaic systems are permanently exposed to environmental influences. Particularly in agriculture, commerce, and on large roof areas, deposits are caused by:
This soiling reduces the light transmittance of the modules and leads to:
The problem: Performance drops gradually and often remains unnoticed for a long time, while the economic loss increases continuously.
The central decision rule is:
PV cleaning is worthwhile if the yield loss is higher than the cleaning costs.
Practical example:
Additional benefits:
"When it comes to PV cleaning, it's not just the price per square meter that should be considered. What's crucial is the yield losses caused by soiling and whether the additional electricity yield exceeds the cleaning costs."
Whether PV cleaning is economically viable depends directly on the ratio between yield loss and cleaning costs. Even with soiling of around 10–15%, cleaning can pay off in many cases – especially for large commercial systems.
With typical costs and potential performance losses of up to 30%, practice often shows that the additional electricity yield exceeds the cleaning costs.
The actual costs depend on several factors:
Especially for large commercial and agricultural areas, the price per square meter drops significantly.
For farmers, medium-sized companies, and industry, the following applies:
PV cleaning is not merely a cost factor, but an investment in the system’s yield.
Those who ignore soiling continuously lose performance.
Those who clean systematically secure the long-term economic efficiency of their photovoltaic system.
Further Article:
How often cleaning is useful depends heavily on the location:
How often should a solar system be cleaned?
Whether it’s an agricultural rooftop system, a commercial roof or a large solar park—the economically optimal cleaning solution depends on system size, location and degree of soiling. Together, we analyze your system and recommend the right cleaning concept.
Our cleaning solutions at a glance
solarROBOT compact
For agricultural as well as small and medium rooftop systems up to approx. 200 kWp. The cleaning robot can be used independently by the system operator and is supplied including a charging station. CE-certified and developed specifically for cost-effective in-house operation.
solarROBOT pro
For medium-sized commercial and ground-mounted systems. With a working width of up to 2 meters and semi-automated operation, the solarROBOT Pro is ideal for efficient cleaning of larger module areas.
solarROBOT ultimate
For large-scale systems and ground-mounted projects. With a working width of 2.4 meters, maintenance-free chain drive and high area performance, the solarROBOT Ultimate was developed for professional use on large PV systems.
solarBRUSH 600
The handheld cleaning solution for special constructions, complex roof geometries and professional cleaning service providers. Ideal for applications where cleaning robots cannot be used due to the design.
For agricultural as well as small and medium rooftop systems up to approx. 200 kWp. The cleaning robot can be used independently by the system operator and is supplied including a charging station. CE-certified and developed specifically for cost-effective in-house operation.
For large-scale systems and ground-mounted projects. With a working width of 2.4 meters, maintenance-free chain drive and high area performance, the solarROBOT Ultimate was developed for professional use on large PV systems.
The handheld cleaning solution for special constructions, complex roof geometries and professional cleaning service providers. Ideal for applications where cleaning robots cannot be used due to the design.
All systems clean without chemicals or soap using pure water and enable gentle, material-friendly cleaning of PV systems.
We analyze your system portfolio, calculate your individual cleaning needs and recommend the economically optimal cleaning concept—from a single system to a multi-site park.
Calculate your individual yield loss with the hyCLEANER solar loss calculator.
We recommend the economically right cleaning concept for your system.
Why is it worth entering PV cleaning? Growing market, recurring revenues, and scalable business models through modern robotic technology.
How much does a dirty solar system cost? Example calculations for agriculture, commercial roofs and ground-mounted systems – incl. yield losses and cleaning intervals.
Photovoltaic expert Pascal Kierstein explains the most common defects in commercial PV systems and shows how operators can prevent damage.