Almond Season, Farm Dust, and Your Solar Panels: Bakersfield's Hidden Problem

By Miguel, Elite Pressure Wash Services · Bakersfield, CA

Drive a few minutes out of almost any Bakersfield neighborhood and you're surrounded by orchards and fields.

That's great for the local economy. It's not great for your solar panels.

Most of the advice you'll find online about panel cleaning was written for places that don't sit next to some of the most heavily farmed land in the country. Here's what's different about ours.

Where the dust comes from

• Almond harvest. In late summer and early fall, almonds are shaken off the trees and swept up off the orchard floor. If you've driven past an orchard during harvest, you've seen the cloud of dust it kicks up. The wind carries that dust for miles.
• Spring bloom. Before that, the trees bloom in late winter and early spring, and the pollen ends up on everything.
• Field work. Plowing and working the soil throughout the year keeps putting fine dirt in the air.
• Wind. On windy days, all of it gets blown around and into town.

Most of this happens during the driest part of the year, when there's no rain to rinse anything off.

Why farm dust sticks

Farm dust is fine and powdery. On cool nights, dew forms on the panels and mixes with that dust. When the sun comes up and dries it, it leaves a film that holds on to the glass. Each night adds another layer.

That's why panels around here can look tan by the end of summer, even on homes that aren't right next to a field.

Who gets hit the hardest

• Homes on the edge of town, close to orchards or open fields.
• Neighborhoods with empty lots or new construction nearby.
• Panels mounted nearly flat on the roof, where dust settles instead of sliding off.

If that sounds like your house, your panels are probably getting dirty faster than the average advice assumes.

What to do about it

1. Time your cleanings around the dust. Late summer or fall, after harvest, is when panels around here usually look their worst. Spring, before the heat, is the other good time.
2. Check your app. Compare a clear day this month to the same month last year. A noticeable drop with nothing else changed usually means dirt.
3. Don't dry-wipe it. Farm dust is gritty. Wiping it off dry can scratch the glass coating. It needs water and a soft brush.

The bottom line

Living in farm country means your panels get dirtier, faster, than in most of the places solar advice is written for. Plan your cleanings around harvest season, and let your numbers tell you when it's time.