Scrubbing Your Way to Self-Sustainability

When you think of solar energy you often think of an attempt to get off the grid.  To live off the land, to reduce your carbon footprint.  However, many see the growth of solar energy as a genesis for new business ideas.

One such company is Solar Maid, a janitorial service for solar panels.  Solar Maid specializes in cleaning of solar panels.  Cleaning includes anything from dusting and washing to snow removal, and Solar Maid serves both residential and commercial clientele.

My first reaction to learning about Solar Maid was that their service seemed counterintuitive to the typical image of self-sustainability.  As I browsed their website, I found that there was a response to this.

Solar Maid offers to teach their method to residential clients so they are able to perform tasks themselves.  They even make light of this practice as being potentially bad for business.  I found this particularly interesting in terms of a business plan.

Is this the direction that self-sustainability is headed?  As technology changes, it could be.  I would argue that paying for a service such as this provides me with the freedom to pursue other activities that help me be self-sustainabile.  I also think I’d rather have a professional climb up onto my roof to clean my solar panels, but that might be just me.