一位太阳能系统业主通过实验测试了定期清洁对发电效率的影响。清洁后，其3.7千瓦的太阳能系统（由16块面板组成）发电功率输出提高了2%-5%[1]，预期年收益约60-150英镑[1]。然而这一收益并非长期稳定，而是会在数年内逐年衰减至零[1]。
该业主同时评估了升级该套15年前安装的老旧系统的可行性[1]。新面板可将产能提升60%，投资回收期约3年[1]，升级成本约5000英镑[1]。但现实的政策障碍使升级决策复杂化：现行补贴政策按发电量支付，旧系统享受的优惠补贴价格与当前电价相差约4倍[1]。这意味着升级后新增产能将以低得多的现行价格结算，大幅削弱了经济效益，实质上构成了升级的重大阻碍[1]。
A homeowner's experimental analysis of solar panel maintenance reveals that washing panels can boost power output by 2% to 5%, translating to an estimated annual financial gain of £60 to £150 [1]. However, this benefit diminishes over time, gradually declining to zero within several years [1].
The owner tested the cleaning impact on a 3.7 kW system comprising 16 panels installed approximately 15 years ago [1]. While the efficiency gains from cleaning are meaningful in the short term, they underscore the challenge facing owners of aging systems who must weigh maintenance benefits against larger strategic questions. Upgrading to new panels could increase generating capacity by 60% and recoup the roughly £5,000 investment cost within three years [1]. Yet a significant barrier exists: under current subsidy policies, the owner's existing system qualifies for favorable payment rates on all generated electricity, whereas any new capacity would be compensated at substantially lower current market rates—a difference of approximately fourfold [1]. This disparity effectively discourages the upgrade despite its technical merits, as the additional output would be undercompensated relative to the legacy arrangement [1].