There are a small percentage of PV panels (modules) that die, mostly due to the fact that the resin
that seals the glass over the solar material has microscopic holes which allow moisture to penetrate
inside the PV module itself and shorts-out connections. This happens less and less frequently as
our PV manufacturing quality has improved as a global industry.
I have Solarex polycrystalline modules installed on my house in 1985, and they have lost 11% of their
output,, so still going strong. - Scott
Scott Sklar, President, The Stella Group, Ltd.
Arlington, VA 22201, E-mail: solarsklar@aol.com
The Stella Group, Ltd.. is a global strategic technology optimization owner's rep firm for
clean energy users and companies, with a focus on system standardization,
modularity and web-enabled diagnostics. Scott Sklar is an Adjunct Professor at
The George Washington University teaching three unique interdisciplinary
sustainable energy courses,
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Scott Sklar
President & Adj Professor
The Stella Group, Ltd, GWU EEMI
Arlington, VA
solarsklar@aol.com------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 07-21-2022 09:03 AM
From: Luther Krueger
Subject: Do solar panels ever actually, really die?
See this link which I came across:
https://hackaday.com/2022/07/19/dead-solar-panels-are-the-hottest-new-recyclables/ My question for photo-voltaic-philes: Are there any efforts to repurpose older panels, i.e., those where the efficiency has dropped below what is needed for the application or system they are attached to? I think of the panels I have on my roof, now 6 years old, with a 25-year warrantee. When I asked how well they'd perform after 25 years the answer was in the range of 80% of what they put out when installed. It seems to me repurposing panels that still kick out over half of what they started with, would make a lot of economic sense.
As one of my solar cooking guests said, "I'm not a PV guy, I'm a Thermal Guy." That's me, but getting deeper into PV and hope to have an intelligent answer for those who worry about scrapping panels altogether...
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Luther Krueger, Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking
Minneapolis MN 44.94N 93.28W el 270m / 886ft