4 ms·
They essentially last 50+ years now, and have always, barring damage. State of the art panels today warranty 90%+ output after 25 years. So they probably aren't
by greenthrow 3y ago
They essentially last 50+ years now, and have always, barring damage. State of the art panels today warranty 90%+ output after 25 years. So they probably aren't far off what you're asking for at 50. They keep getting better and cheaper every year.
- jeffbee 3y agoNREL's latest data is summarized here: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy22osti/81172.pdf#page=5 https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy22osti/81172.pdf#page=5 Some types of panels have increased capacity after being in the field for years. Degradation is not a significant economic concern at this stage of the process.
- abdullahkhalids 3y agoI see degradation numbers between -0.1%/year and -1.1%/year. This translates to about * 0.999^25 = 97.5% to 0.989^25 = 75.8% output after 25 years. * 0.999^50 = 95% to 0.989^50 = 57.5% output after 50 years.
- Retric 3y agoData I’ve see doesn’t show output dropping continuously at a constant rate. Also some panels did show modest improvement for a few years.
- londons_explore 3y ago> modest improvement for a few years. Many regions of the world are getting dryer. You might just be seeing a global warming side effect as there is less cloud cover.
- londons_explore 3y agoIt would be good to break the figures down between: * The actual silicon is degrading * The cover glass is getting dirty/frosted/delaminating/optical adhesive is no longer clear * Electrical failure of a whole cell - for example it is cracked, yet the panel still appears to work due to the bypass diodes removing a whole cell from the circuit. Sure - from the users point of view it doesn't matter, but from an engineering point of view, the cause of failure gives some clues how to prevent it.
- philipkglass 3y agoThis is true for panels on the market now, and most of those produced in the past. The 33% tandem systems reported on by Ars Technica see severe efficiency degradation after just a few hundred hours of full-power operation, so that's something that needs to be solved before perovskite-on-silicon tandem systems enter mass production.
- larsiusprime 3y agoWhat about hail damage? That's the main concern holding me back, but is this something already being addressed?
- ben_w 3y agoThat sounds like you want armoured panels; As I understand it, the degradation being discussed here is from the light itself.
- greenthrow 3y agoMost panel warranties cover hail up to like 1" diameter. So, pretty sizable. Beyond that, you need insurance.
- goldenkey 3y agoIs it possible to put some translucent protective material that doesn't block the frequencies the panels absorb?
- jackmott42 3y agoyes, they use this new tech called glass.
- goldenkey 3y agoGlass refracts and depending on what it's made of, will absorb some frequencies. > For normal incidence, approximately 4 % of the light is reflected; this value is determined by the refractive index of the glass. For most glasses with a refractive index of 1.5, reflection losses at the surface result in an approximate 4% decrease in light intensity.
- abdullahkhalids 3y agoYou can always put more/stronger glass on top to protect them more. But I would bet it is cheaper to buy insurance for such infrequent events.
- jackmott42 3y ago