Solar farm operators must be mindful of which products they choose to control dust and maintain access roads. With so many toxic and unsustainable chemicals out there, not just any old thing will do! That’s why more solar farms are turning to Perma-Zyme, an eco-friendly soil stabilizer and dust suppressant that reduces maintenance and saves money.
In this blog, we’ll cover eight reasons to use Perma-Zyme on your solar farm:
Dust is the greatest enemy solar farm operators face. It drastically reduces solar panel efficiency, lowering power output and profitability. MIT engineers found that reducing power production by as little as 1% could cost a 150-MW solar farm over $200,000 per year. Industry-wide, they estimate annual losses of up to $1.8 billion per 1% power output loss.1
But, here’s the thing: in the U.S., solar panels lose nearly 7% of their yearly energy output due to soiling—with greater losses in drier, dustier regions.2 At that rate, a 150-MW solar farm could miss out on over $1.4 million per year.
Dust also blows from solar farms into neighboring communities and farm fields. This fugitive dust poses serious respiratory health risks, damages crops and property, and reduces visibility on nearby roads. That’s one reason why many governments are enacting dust control regulations, such as California’s PM10 requirements.
Perma-Zyme significantly reduces dust by binding soil particles together to prevent them from escaping into the atmosphere. One treatment can eradicate the majority of dust for up to two years without any other dust suppression efforts. So, you can keep your panels clean, your neighbors safe, and your solar farm in compliance!
Solar farms require miles of access roads that are prone to ruts, potholes, and washboarding. The areas around the panels themselves are also vulnerable to erosion because, while some solar farms may have grass or other small plants, they lack large vegetation with deep root systems that help prevent soil loss.
This susceptibility to erosion can cause a host of problems—from making panels difficult to access for maintenance to causing soil runoff that pollutes nearby streams. However, traditional solutions like applying gravel or grading access roads are costly and time-consuming.
With Perma-Zyme, you can stop erosion in its tracks. Its powerful formula creates a hard, concrete-like surface that resists water, wind, and traffic for 10+ years. In fact, some of our customers’ dirt roads have lasted even longer—like this one that’s 16 years old and going strong!
Need a road that lasts longer? Rejuvenating Perma-Zyme is simple! For roads with mild to moderate wear and tear, some customers find that they can lightly rework the top two to three inches of soil with one-third as much Perma-Zyme as they used during the original treatment to achieve another 10-15 years of soil stabilization. Even if the surface wears out entirely and needs a full reapplication, Perma-Zyme is still extremely cost-effective since it lasts more than a decade with significant savings on maintenance.
Solar farms require constant maintenance for the equipment, property, and access roads. And don’t even get us started on the panels themselves!
With up to 5,000 panels on a one megawatt solar farm, maintaining them takes significant labor.3 Individual panels get scratched, crack, or begin to leak over time. Sometimes, these problems even develop because of maintenance, such as improper cleaning techniques.
Because Perma-Zyme suppresses dust for up to two years with a single treatment, it significantly cuts down on the need for solar panel cleaning. It also reduces the risk of dust scratching panels or entering (and therefore damaging) other equipment like inverters and transformers.
You’ll enjoy far less maintenance for access roads, firebreaks, slopes, and other areas as well. Many of our customers who use Perma-Zyme on unpaved roads report that they go from grading every two to four weeks to grading every six to 12 months. By reducing labor in this area, they free up their crews to work on other valuable projects.
You know better than anyone how expensive solar farm maintenance is. Consider the costs of panel cleaning alone: the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that cleaning the panels on a 10-MW solar farm one time costs around $5,000.4 Even water costs money, and solar farms use approximately 10 billion gallons of it for cleaning each year.5
You’ll save money on cleaning and maintenance for 10+ years with Perma-Zyme. Additionally, our customers save an average of 60% on dirt road construction compared to traditional methods—meaning you’ll save even more when building access roads and firebreaks.
Due to material production and facility construction, solar farms can take 15 to 25 years to begin carbon reduction. When you’re all-in on producing sustainable energy, that can seem like a long time to wait. Thankfully, Perma-Zyme is here to help make a green enterprise even greener.
Perma-Zyme is 100% organic and natural. In fact, the majority of our ingredients are food-grade materials, so Perma-Zyme is also non-toxic and non-hazardous. Many of our customers use it in ecologically sensitive areas because they know it’s safe and even beneficial. For example, Perma-Zyme won’t contaminate wetlands or waterways such as trout streams. It can improve water quality by preventing erosion and runoff from washing soil into these areas.
So, how can Perma-Zyme stabilize soil for 10+ years with no harsh chemicals or toxins? The active ingredients are enzymes, which are powerful yet naturally occurring proteins that we cultivate from bacteria. (It’s a bit like brewing beer—which is why our warehouse smells like hops. We love it!) This green manufacturing process ensures that our employees and community are never exposed to any toxins and that we keep our carbon footprint as small as possible.
Fire risks are a hot topic in the solar world, no pun intended. The good news is that these risks are relatively low. One study in Germany tracked fires at two million solar installations and found that only 0.006% (about 12,000) suffered fires with serious damage. They also found that most fires occur in electrical cabinets, not on panels.6
However, you want to do everything you can to ensure that your installation doesn’t end up in that 0.006%. And there are many ways to do that—from training first responders on solar farm fires to building firebreaks.
We can’t help you set up a training curriculum (although it’s certainly a good idea!) But we can help you with fire prevention.
Perma-Zyme’s dust suppression gives you a strong start. Dust increases solar panels’ operating temperatures and works its way into electrical components, both of which can overheat or cause sparks that result in fires. By keeping dust off the panels, you’re keeping your risk down.
It’s also ideal for constructing firebreaks. Treating these areas with Perma-Zyme creates a virtually impenetrable surface that makes it almost impossible for plants to take root—so your firebreaks will stay clear of vegetation for a decade or more. And it’s easy to keep them clean: simply pass through with a motor grader once in a while to remove debris, and you’re good to go!
You’d think people near solar farms would be glad to have a green energy source so close to home. And most of them probably are. But, there’s a difference between believing in the value of solar energy and living by a solar farm. There’s always something they didn’t expect… and aren’t happy about.
Farmers complain when dust gets into their fields. County supervisors and residents complain when it gets on their roads. Environmentalists complain about runoff and erosion impacting local flora and fauna. And to be fair to them, those are all valid concerns.
Part of operating a solar farm well involves addressing concerns like these and building positive relationships within the community. Hopefully by now, you’ve seen how Perma-Zyme can help keep your neighbors happy with an eco-friendly solution for less dust and less erosion.
With so many solar farms operating on leased property, there comes a time when they may have to retire or relocate. Then begins the task of reclaiming the land for other uses.
One of the great things about Perma-Zyme is that it’s easy to remediate. The enzymes will begin to biodegrade once you break up the treated soil. So, when your lease ends, simply rip up the soil and reclaim your solar farm. (The smaller you break up the soil, the faster it will biodegrade). And because Perma-Zyme is natural and eco-friendly, the land will be safe for a variety of new uses—including agriculture.
Fun fact: Perma-Zyme’s inventor, John Battistoni, originally created it to use in his family’s vineyards.
You want a product you can count on, from a team you can count on. When you choose Perma-Zyme, we’ll walk through your project with you from start to finish. Here are some of the ways we do that:
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