• Chocrates@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Solar panels degrade over time, I don’t know what the numbers are but they used to be dysmal, like 30% reduction in generation capacity over 5 years. Whatever the actual numbers are, we will constantly be replacing panels. I am sure we can figure out refurbishing too at some point.

    • Juvyn00b@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Yeah they’re definitely better now, I’m reading anywhere between 1% per year or 12.5% at year 25. There are other things that can pop up though, micro cracks causing localized overheating of the panel - to backing failures and other physical issues. I’m interested in standing some up at some point but the capital eludes me at the moment.

      • Chocrates@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        I’m am certainly wrong, that figure was something my dad told me as a kid, we were on solar back then.

        • Juvyn00b@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          No worries at all. Like you said though, with advancements people will likely do upgrades over time anyways. I don’t have numbers off the top of my head, but even just the per panel efficiencies have grown fantastically since your last experience.

      • Chocrates@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Do you know the type of pv panel that was used 20+ years ago? I lived in an off grid house and my dad mentioned that at one point.

        • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Monocrystalline silicon was used 20 years ago. It’s the oldest solar technology.

          According to the source data in a link in the page I linked thin film CIGS rollable solar sheets was the least durable. Panels installed before 2000 had a degradation of 3.5% a year. That’s 10 years to lose 30%. But CIGS solar systems installed after the year 2000 show only .02% degradation a year. The document talks about manufacturing defects that were corrected.

          http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/51664.pdf

        • Croquette@sh.itjust.works
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          7 months ago

          Yeah but your point is that solar panels degrade 30% after 5 years, and then you reframe the context for 20 years ago?

          Go astrosurf somewhere else.

          Any grid has a maintenance cost and degradation. Solar panels isn’t any different.