Solar Panel going cloudy

[Trundlebug]

I fitted a 150w semi flexible solar panel a couple of years ago.

On visiting the boat at the weekend I decided to clean the topsides after the winter, ready for relaunching and I noticed the outer plastic film of the solar panel appears to be going milky / cloudy.

After only two years it's looking quite weathered and old.

Has anyone else had this problem?
Does it affect performance?
How much worse will it get?

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[William_H]

If it is a plastic coating try one of the plastic polishes sold by motor factors for rejuvenating car headlight lens. olewill

 

[r_h]

Sounds like one I have that's three years old now. It appears to be a very thin plastic film that's breaking down. A bit of a pain but no big deal - I'm waiting for it to break down a bit more in the hope that it mean it won't take as long to remove it all and get back to a nice clear finish.

 

[Trundlebug]

Sounds like one I have that's three years old now. It appears to be a very thin plastic film that's breaking down. A bit of a pain but no big deal - I'm waiting for it to break down a bit more in the hope that it mean it won't take as long to remove it all and get back to a nice clear finish.

Remove it? That will expose the bare solar cells to the elements which I don't think will do them any good.

 

[r_h]

Ah, it sounds as though you have an entirely different problem - this is just a very thin film on top of the much thicker plastic that encloses the solar cells.

 

[Trundlebug]

The very thin film present on delivery is just to protect it during transport.
It's packaging, rather like the film wrapping on cars and boats during transport, and is a common feature on many plastic covered items (even phones) with easily scratched surfaces.

I removed that film straight after installation. Leaving the main residual plastic coating on the semi flexible solar panel.
It's that plastic that is now going cloudy.

I may try some special polishes, but I have a feeling it's the plastic itself going cloudy rather than the surface. Worth a try though I suppose.

 

[fergie_mac66]

Anti scratch film for the customer like on a smart phone screen ??

 

[Trundlebug]

Not quite sure what you're asking Fergie_mac.

When new my panel had an anti scratch coating on, yes.
I removed it (like you do with a smart phone) when I installed it to leave the solar panel, which has a clear plastic outer layer. That layer is not removable.

The clear plastic outer layer of the solar panel has gone cloudy.

 

[fergie_mac66]

Just clarifying

 

[thinwater]

Be VERY careful polishing semi-flexible panels. Personally, I would not touch that with a 10-foot pole.

The problems is that the cells themselves are rigid and very fragile. If flexed back and forth--and they will be when you rub--they will develop micro-cracks you can't even see, and the output will drop by FAR more than is caused by a little surface oxidation. Google it, and you will read many stories of woe, where a sailor polished a panel and was then surprised that output had dropped 70%. This is also the reason that semi-flexible panels don't last when installed across a bimini bow. At most, clean gently and apply a plastic protectant, like 303 or IMAR.

Don't take the risk. It isn't worth it. The cheaper the panel, the greater the risk.