At SICA, we’re committed to helping solar companies educate and empower their customers through high-impact content and tools. Our recent partnership with Saturn Solar Cleaning included co-authoring an in-depth blog post and independently developing an interactive calculator that shows how much dirty panels might be costing you.
Educating Through Content: Co-Writing with Saturn Solar Cleaning
The blog post, Leaving Money on the Table: The Hidden Cost of Neglecting Solar Panel Cleaning, was crafted in collaboration with Saturn’s team to highlight the financial and performance risks of ignoring panel cleanliness.
Our role included assisting with content strategy, SEO optimization, and helping shape the narrative to appeal to homeowners and commercial clients alike. The result is an article that combines clarity, education, and urgency to drive awareness and action.
Quantifying the Loss: A New Solar Panel Cleaning Calculator
To take things a step further, SICA built a custom solar panel cleaning calculator that uses real data to help users understand just how much energy (and money) they may be losing each month.
The calculator uses:
- Electricity rates from SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric), based on data from the California Public Utilities Commission (2025 rate sheet)
- Efficiency loss data pulled from peer-reviewed research, including: Zakaria et al. (2024), Energy Reports Mani & Pillai (2015), Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews Kimber et al. (2006), IEEE PV Conference
These sources suggest that solar panels can lose between 5% and 30% of their efficiency depending on climate, tilt angle, and location-specific factors—many of which can be mitigated with regular cleaning.
What Makes This Calculator Different?
Unlike generic calculators, ours is:
- Tailored to California solar users
- Backed by real utility pricing and academic data
- Designed to give users an instant visual estimate of energy and dollar savings
For homeowners, this tool transforms abstract percentages into concrete losses. For cleaning companies, it's a lead magnet and sales enabler.
Looking Ahead: SICA’s Role in the Clean Energy Web Ecosystem
This project represents the kind of collaboration we thrive on—blending technical know-how with accessible UX to bridge the gap between solar providers and their customers.
Want to empower your customers with interactive tools and content that convert?
👉 Let’s work together to elevate your impact and visibility in the clean energy space.
