Lifespan Of A Solar Panel

Contemplation is vital in life.  It can help you to organize your thoughts before proceeding on an action. When pondering a solar power system installation on your home, the first question most people usually ask is, how much does a solar installation fetch? This is jointly supported by, how long do solar panels last? The answers to these questions help you determine whether your monthly energy bill savings is worth the upfront price and helps us make more precise long-term solar savings forecasts.

How long have solar panels been around?

The history of solar energy comprises 175 years of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy technology and includes amazing advancements in the solar energy field. In the 1800's scientists started searching with PV energy and how to create power using the sun, but they never produced a usable amount of power. This modified in 1954 when Bell Laboratories built the first solar cell that used silicon and a modern era of PV technology began. People began to see solar energy as a viable alternative for their homes, especially after the oil crisis of 1973. The federal government developed grants and tax incentives in the 1990's to promote solar system usage.

Nevertheless, things didn’t start running until Germany put in place massive solar incentives in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. These considerations allowed solar panel manufacturers to reach scale and lead to a precipitous drop in the cost of solar panels. It wasn’t until around 2012 that things got going in the US when the mixture of lower panel prices, utility level rebates, net metering and a federal tax credit made solar affordable to the people of the world.  

How long do modern solar panels last?

We probably want to know how long your panel might last. As a general rule of thumb, your solar panels should last at least 25 to 30 years, based on company testing. The values used for a solar cost calculator or solar savings calculator are also based on a working life of 25 years. However, life expectancy also depends on the nature of the manufacturing process and installation and the type of solar panel installed.

Flexible and adjustable panels, also known as thin film panels have the shortest working life compared to all other types of solar panels. Although they commonly still come with a 25-year warranty, they're usually only guaranteed to generate electricity at 80% of their rated output after only 10 years.

Monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels have comparable lifespans and also usually include a 25-year warranty, but can outlive their 25-year life expectancy.

Do solar panels go bad?

Regarding thinking about the exception of tracking mounts on ground-level or pole-mounted panels, solar panel systems don't have any shifting parts. This makes failures due to wear and tear highly unlikely, but the chemicals used to make solar panels can deteriorate and break down over time. However, as your solar system ages, it doesn't suddenly go wrong. Instead, its power capacity diminishes to a certain degree, which is called degeneration.

It is uncommon for a solar panel to go bad but where it does it is generally due to one of two factors:

A malfunction of the microwires inside a cell causing a short circuit (arc) and a hotspot; or the encapsulation that holds water out of the active part of the panel fails.

We hope you have learned a great deal about some of the fundamental issues surrounding solar panels.  When you buy a solar panel system, you might find yourself having many questions and the more you know, the better your abilities to purchase with confidence.

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