Solar Panel Degradation Over Time

Understanding these elements is key when selecting solar panels for your home or business.

Solar panel degradation over time.

At the other extreme panels in desert climates exhibited large decreases in production over time close to 1 per year mainly due to high levels of uv exposure. Panels in more moderate climates such as the northern united states had degradation rates as low as 0 2 per year. It does because yearly degradation compounds over time. Solar panel degradation and failure is not a clear cut situation kurtz said.

Quantification of power decline over time also known as degradation rate is essential to all stakeholders utility companies integrators investors and researchers alike. Below is a comparison of the output of solar power systems over a 50 year period with degradation rates of 0 25 sunpower s expected average 0 4 an excellent rate of degradation 0 8 the mean average found in some studies and 1 the old standard. There are lots of different reasons why they degrade and why they fail kurtz said module manufacturers are looking into every piece of the solar panel puzzle all the way down to the encapsulants and adhesion materials to try to slow degradation rates. A panel s degradation rate materials temperature coefficient warranty and caliber of installation all influence how long it ll hold up over time.

For example solarcity the largest residential solar installer in the u s guarantees that its panel efficiency won t degrade below an 80 efficiency rating over a 20 year power purchase. Does that really matter. However a study conducted by the national renewable energy laboratory nrel shows a more accurate picture of solar panel degradation. Solar panel degradation rates are constantly improving as solar panel technology gets better over the years and degradation rates below 1 are common throughout the industry.

Over 25 years that adds up to a total of 6 96 meaning your panels will operate at 93 04 of their original capacity in 2045. For most tier 1 solar panels the degradation rate is 30 meaning that each year the panels performance is reduced by 30. On average solar panels degrade at a rate of 1 each year.