A Cleaner Generation
One of the UK's largest and most comprehensive specialist solar farm cleaners.
About Us
Who are we?
A Cleaner Generation expanded from an established commercial cleaning business to fulfil the demand for solar farm cleaning within the growing UK market. With the experience of cleaning over 4 million panels in the first few years, mostly by hand, A Cleaner Generation expanded to offer machine cleaning in 2017. It is now considered one of the most respected and sort after solar farm cleaning companies in the country.
A Cleaner Generation is a small outfit with highly trained, dedicated personnel whom take pride in the cleaning of all sites, this provides our customers with the quality assurance and peace of mind they need to ensure the job is done safely and professionally.
Why Us?
Cleaning
A Cleaner Generation uses two methods of cleaning; a mechanical cleaner and hand cleaning with either a manual or battery powered water fed brush.
The mechanical cleaner uses a carrier vehicle like a tractor or a telehandler to operate a moveable spinning brush arm called a SunBrush. This is the most effective and efficient way to remove the dirt build up on ground mounted panels and we have several sizes of brush to suit most needs.
The hand cleaning methods often utilise multiple workers using deionised water fed brushes, either with a rotating head or a static traditional head. We use specifically modified off road vehicles, trailers and tanks which allow us to get to some of the harder to reach areas.
A Cleaner Generation will be able to adapt to and meet all your cleaning requirements with the additional benefit of a single company contact for all sites.
Why keep your solar panels clean?
Keeping your solar panels clean is much more than cosmetics. Dust, dirt and lichen growths can significantly reduce solar panel efficiency and thus affect the returns on your investments.
A Cleaner Generation's own research shows the data and efficiency for ground mounted systems is significant and for a large 50MW solar farm could equate to over £12,000 a day (tariff dependent). Generally, an improvement of 8-10% is common but for dustier areas reports have shown improvements of up to 18% being made.
Rain does help to wash some of the dirt and bird droppings away but just like your car, it will not get it thoroughly clean and will leave a dirty coating. Also, the washed down dirt builds up in a thick layer on the bottom edge of the panel which creeps gradually onto the PV cells. By using one of our cleaning methods the dirt can be removed without leaving a residue and will remove over 98% of all dirt. We generally do not use any chemicals in the cleaning process but we have developed our own solution that will aid the removal of dirt and impede lichen growth, should it be required.
Our Services
Mechanical Cleaning
A Cleaner Generation is a leader in solar cleaning and has the ability, working with clients and their data, to produce the most effective cleaning regime maximising annual profits. We can clean nearly every design of solar farm built in the UK with our custom SunBrush cleaning machines. Our clients’ sites range from the smaller 100KW (approx. 400 panels) to some of the largest in the UK at 70MW+ (280,000+ panels).
Our specialist cleaning machines can clean sites from 2 panels high to 6 panels high and with the added capability to interchange between different vehicles to ensure the ground conditions, terrain or narrow row widths do not pose significant problems.
The machine uses a spinning brush that rests on the panels, set at a specific pressure, and is moved along the tables by the carrier vehicle, often a tactor. The brush can be moved to take account of the varying heights of panels as well as it can be used on either side of the vehicle. Clients can have the panels cleaned using either de-ionised water or tap water with an additive to remove dissolved salts.
Our initial SunBrush was purchased partially via a Grant from the BIG2 Project funded from the ERDF as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The machine was commissioned in Dec 2016 after six months of research and visits to the factory. Since then, the machine increased our productivity and enabled us to employ new members of staff and to break into new markets.
Ground Maintenance
Topping and weed spraying are an integral part of keeping your site safe, manageable and well maintained prior to works being carried out. In 2016 we introduced a further service to our clients of ground maintenance within the solar farms. This service includes topping, weed spraying and can include requests like watering freshly planted trees etc. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Solar Farm Planning
We have visited and worked on hundreds of solar farms across the UK and all are unique, however, they all have an essence of needing to be efficient, low maintenance, low cost and with great longevity. The site need to work in harmony as a power station and the surrounding environment promoting diverse wildlife and fauna. We will look at your designs and highlight areas that work well and areas that may need to be amended to ensure that not only is your site ecofriendly and efficient, but the life of the site is maximised and more importantly, future costs minimised.
Hand Cleaning
This was once the preferred method of cleaning for all solar panels. The hand cleaning method utilises multiple workers using water fed poles with solar brush heads and deionised water. Specially modified off-road vehicles, quads, trailers and water tanks are used which allows us to get to some of the harder to reach, challenging or sensitive areas. This is the only method we use for roof mounted systems on barns or buildings.
As many solar farms are built in unique environments we are happy to tailor a clean to the specific site utilising an amalgamation of methods.
Equipment
With over 10 years of experience cleaning solar farms and large-scale roof arrays, we can help kit out your O&M team - giving them specialist equipment and training that is right for their situation. From a few brushes to full van kits, we can help source your requirements to meet your needs.
Asset Management
Looking after your assets and managing them effectively is key to ensuring maximum returns, but A Cleaner Generation is not just about this, it is about ensuring longevity, sustainability and biodiversity through careful environmental management, biodiversity impact mitigation and greenhouse gas emission reduction. Keeping your assets performing in a sustainable way is key to us being an ethical provider.
