How long do solar panels last?

When you're considering investing in a solar installation, wondering how long home solar panels last is a question that inevitably pops up. To put your mind at ease studies have proven solar panels can last anywhere between 25 to 30 years. However, this doesn't mean the panels on your roof will stop producing electricity after a couple of decades. It just means their energy production will decrease by what solar panel manufacturers call the “solar panel degradation” and there could be up to 88% of their original capacity left at this time! See below for more details…

What is the solar panel degradation rate per year?

Solar energy system degradation rates vary depending on the brand, as well as the climate where they're installed. The good news is, recent data has shown modern solar systems are outperforming all expectations. According to an analysis by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), some premium panel manufacturers  offer degradation rates as low as 0.3% per year; and while other brands have higher degradation rates of up to 0.8% per year, that's still a yearly average degradation rate of only 0.5%.  Meaning, even if you get a standard solar panel 25-year warranty period at 0.5% degradation, your solar panels should continue operating at around 88% of their original capacity after this time. Not too shabby at all!

Do Solar Panels Require Maintenance?

Modern solar panels are incredibly reliable, yet, they do require proper caring and cleaning to stay in top shape to guarantee you receive the most significant solar savings possible during the next 20 to 30 years. So if your solar panels  don't experience any physical damage by high winds, debris, or other factors — you can rest easy knowing they'll last you decades. 3X SOLAR does offer a comprehensive solar panel service guarantee that will keep your system in top shape for years to come.

The basic solar system components

The first step in knowing how solar panels work is to understand how they're made. Many of them use silicon as a go-to material, one of the most common elements found on our planet. During manufacturing, small amounts of other elements are introduced to alter the electrical charges of the silicon atoms. This results in strips of negative (n-type) silicon, which has an extra electron; and positive (p-type) silicon, which is missing one electron. When sandwiched together, these two types of silicon form a photovoltaic cell –– and when multiple photovoltaic cells are placed under glass simultaneously, they give us the cool solar panels we see atop buildings today. Inside each solar panel, there's a conductive metal plate connected to wires that lead to a fused array combiner. A device is used to collect energy through an inverter, where the energy's natural-direct electrical current is changed to the alternating electrical current required to power human-made structures.

Transforming solar power into electricity

Sunlight is a form of energy consisting of invisible particles called photons, that have energy, but zero rest mass. When photons come in contact with other particles, energy expands in several ways depending on the kind of atoms they touch. Most times, heat is generated when this happens. On the other hand, electricity is produced when electrons circle atoms, the reasoning behind why photovoltaic cells contain materials with different electrical charges. When the Sun hits a silicon crystal, the electrons inside of it begin to jump up and down. And eventually, some of them become so charged up, they break free and move more freely. The n-type silicon electrons seek out the ones in p-type silicon to replace the missing electrons within their atoms — producing an electrical current from the motion of these electrons.  The amazing semiconductor qualities of silicon make it possible to sustain constant electron imbalances. Meaning, a steady supply of solar electricity is going to be at hand every time the photons hit the solar panels — a current collected by wires and carried throughout the system.

4 factors that mess with solar electricity production

It's important to be aware of the factors that must be carefully considered before, during and after the design and installation of any solar system. 3X SOLAR system designers have to optimize all these factors for your installation to produce the most amount of energy.

1. Shade: You may already know this, but shaded solar panels won't produce the same amount of energy as those in direct sunlight. So,
2. Seasonality: Like the weather, solar energy production varies day-by-day and month-to-month. A cloudy, winter day won't be as productive as a sunny, summer one; the important thing here is to focus on the year-round sunny picture. For example, snow can sometimes reflect light and improve PV performance. So in reality, a cold month will only become a solar antagonist if the panels are covered with slush.
3. Tilt: the location, the direction and the pitch of the panels have a deep effect on how a system works. Ideally, solar panels should be at the same angle as the latitude where they're mounted — and pitches between 30-45 degrees usually work well in most scenarios.
4. Azimuth: The azimuth angle is the compass direction from where the sunlight is coming. At solar noon, the Sun's light comes from the south in the Northern Hemisphere and from the north in the Southern Hemisphere. A wrong azimuth angle could reduce the energy output of a solar PV up to 35%.

Solar panel warranty

A solar panel warranty has two distinct parts: product/equipment warranties and a performance guarantee.

Product/Equipment Warranty

Solar panel equipment warranties cover the physical panels themselves. This includes any manufacturing defects, durability issues, or equipment failure. The warranty typically covers the cost of replacing the faulty or damaged panel with a new working one. Most equipment warranties for solar panels last between 10 - 15 years but some premium panels have warranties for up to 25 years.

Performance Guarantee

A solar panel performance guarantee establishes a base electricity production over the lifetime of the panels. The amount of electricity a solar panel produces slightly declines every year they are in use. This decline in production is fairly predictable as the power output should not lose more than 10-20% production over the first 25 years. If the panels drop below this at any time, a performance guarantee fixes or replaces any faulty panels so your system is performing at optimal capacity.

What is a solar inverter?

Solar power inverters are the true backbone of a solar system:

What is a solar inverter?

If solar panels are the heart of a system, then inverters are the brain. Typically, an inverter's main job is to convert DC power produced by solar arrays into usable AC power, but recently its role has become more involved. Certain inverters now enable monitoring so we can see how your system is performing.

What does AC/DC mean?

A direct current (DC) is generated when solar rays interact with the solar panel material and force electrons to flow freely from atomic structures. Solar inverters convert this DC energy into an alternating current (AC). It is much easier to transport and convert AC into different energy strengths than DC energy. That is why AC is the standardized form of energy we all utilize.

Different kinds of inverters

Not all inverters are created equal. Some are more efficient than others, and this affects your entire system's output and potential savings. Traditional Inverters, also called a central inverters, draw power in series through all your panels. This means the amount of power you receive is only as much as the weakest power generated. Typically, this kind of inverter is a single box installed right next to the panels. Traditional inverters are the most cost effective for larger installations. Smaller residential installations can use micro inverters, small inverters that are placed on the back of each solar panel. Installing individual inverters allows each solar panel to perform independently. These smaller installations can also use DC-Optimizers. Like micro inverters, are devices that go on the backside of each panel. However, instead of converting the DC energy to AC, optimizers “condition” the DC energy and send the power to a central inverter.