Solar panels retain more than 80% of their capacity after 30 years
One of the main questions asked by those interested in installing solar panels is how long they will last. An aspect that has been the subject of misinformation that different studies have been clarifying. Now Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), one of the three research and development laboratories of the National Nuclear Security Administration in the United States, has published an interesting report analyzing the behavior of photovoltaic panels under different conditions.
The objective is to know the performance and lifetime of photovoltaic panels in different environments. A study that has lasted 5 years, where up to 834 photovoltaic modules from 13 different manufacturers and distributed in three geographical areas with different climates have been analyzed.
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The report found that six of the models studied had degradation rates that will exceed the panel warranty limits, usually 20 years, while 13 other systems demonstrated their ability to extend their useful life beyond 30 years.
A useful life does not really mean the time until the panel stops working, but the amount of time until the panel has 80% of its initial efficiency. This means that these panels, after three decades of work, will still maintain a good capacity to transform solar radiation into electricity.
A photovoltaic technology that has seen how despite the recent increases caused by the international situation, its prices have fallen by 85% since 2010. Something that has been made possible by economies of scale, as well as greater efficiencies in cell designs, production line automation, larger modules and changes in BOM components such as back sheets.
The report also notes that lower production costs have led to solar power becoming a key part of various governments’ energy plans, especially since the outbreak of the Ukraine war and the rising cost of fossil fuels.
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The degradation of photovoltaic panels
The study showed that the degradation of panels is not linear over time, and that there are seasonal variations in some types of modules. The mean and median degradation rate values of -0.62 %/year and -0.58 %/year, respectively, are consistent with rates measured for older modules.
This, translated to an average panel, would mean that after 30 years it would have ordered 18.6% of its capacity, or in other words, it would maintain 81.4% of its factory capacity.
By technologies and construction, the market share of panels has changed dramatically in recent years. In 2018, designs were mainly with a conventional aluminum back surface (Al-BSF) accounting for up to 90% of the market.
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But in 2020, the market share changed to only 15%, with 80% being passivated emitter cells (PERC) as well as those equipped with a passivated emitter with local diffusion backside cell (PERL), passivated emitter with fully diffused backside cell ( PERT), silicon heterojunction (SHJ) and tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon).
Source: https://www.diariorenovables.com/2022/11/paneles-solares-conservaran-eficiencia-despues-30-anos.html
