whats with solar panels being popular?

WisJim

Glass encapsulated PVs are expected to last at least twice their warranty period, or 50+ years. There are panels available that should last 100 to 150 years. I think that the return on investment is great. Some of my PVs have paid for themselves in the value of energy produced years ago, and are still working fine.

smallpoxgirl · Moderator Joined: Nov 08, 2004 Posts: 5636

mos6507

mos6507

smallpoxgirl · Moderator Joined: Nov 08, 2004 Posts: 5636

gnm

smallpoxgirl · Moderator Joined: Nov 08, 2004 Posts: 5636

JRP3 · Heavy Crude Joined: Oct 23, 2006 Posts: 394

That's because he's got an extra "zo" in there. Very Happy

Try this "carrizo solar"
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smallpoxgirl · Moderator Joined: Nov 08, 2004 Posts: 5636

OK, so looks like there are some Carrizo panels from the mid 80's still in use. Most of them, though have either broken or are seriously degraded in output, and that's really more like 20 years, not 30. I'm not saying it's impossible for a panel to last 30 years or more, but if you're looking at the energy math, it seems to me that expecting a panel to last 25 years before it breaks is pretty darn generous. Saying that the average panel is going to last 100 or 150 years, just bends reality.
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WisJim

There are a lot of PV panels around that are 25 to 30 years old, and a surprising amount that are older. I never said that the average panel would last 150 years, just that there are some available that are expected to last that long. I happen to own lots of things that I use that are more than 30 years old. My wind generator was built in the 1940s, had new bearings and brushes in the mid-1970s, and I have been using it ever since. I have a few cars over 30 years that I use regularly. And I could go on and on.

The Carrizo panels are a special case as they were subjected to abuse in the desert beyond what they were designed for, and were typically purchased by low-budget experimenters who often did low-buck installations that didn't always help the panels' longevity.

There is a lot of factual information out there about PVs, including publications like Home Power magazine among others. They would be good sources of background information on the subject for some of the less informed.

Revi · Fusion Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 3231 Location: Maine

Since I'm 48 I figure 30 years should be about perfect. Let somebody else try to get to 150 years with the panels. I plan on having them for 20 years after gridcrash, which may happen in the next 10 years. If I live past 78, I'll hang out in the dark.

We have BP solar panels, which were hard to find a couple of years ago. I think solar panels are still in short supply, aren't they?

I'd like to pick up a couple of extra panels to have around just in case. I may start to look around for 100 watt panels, or 120's. There were some in the local pennysaver, called Uncle Henry's last year. I shoulda bought em when I saw them.
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JRP3 · Heavy Crude Joined: Oct 23, 2006 Posts: 394

rdsaltpower · Tar Sands Joined: Aug 30, 2006 Posts: 95

Amen, smallpox girl. If there were a huge shift to solar , the panels will come from China produced with cheap Chinese labor with COAL fired power used in the process. And Wally world might be the distributer lol. That is the only way solar will compete with coal...manufactured in third world countries with dirt cheap labor and coal fired power and dist. by the favorite Chinese factory outlet...Wal mart. Just look at the so called green disposal of computers from America. Shipped to third world countries and disposed of in the most environmental destructive way possible. That is the only way solar can compete...Too bad for the Greens. I have owned solar for three years now and the price on panels is still sky high. And just wait till all those small home owned systems ditch their lead acid batteries for new ones! Talk about an enviro. nightmare!