Solar Panels

[shanemax]

I do not believe I have read much on here about solar panels failing. I have three and they seem to keep going for years through summer and winters without any trouble.
Has anyone had a panel totally fail or do they just slowly stop producing max watts.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

I've had a few flexible panels fail .... mine just stopped completely, they were wired in series and the voltage dropped by the value of one panel .... obviously the power output dropped accordingly. I did notice them failing before they finally went as the voltage seen by the MPPT was intemittently down.

 

[thinwater]

One flex pannel failed a the 15 year mark. But I was watching the delamination progress for 6 months.

 

[William_H]

I have had small panels fail possibly due to being trodden on where moisture gets in causing corrosion. You can see discoloration through the glass. ol'will

 

[shanemax]

Thanks for the replies'.....I have in the past read about flexible panels having problems and perhaps that is obvious ie. not kept enclosed in a rigid aluminon frame and of course if you stand on one there is the potential for damage but in general they seem pretty bullet proof and weather proof in a salty environment.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

I've had flexible panels delaminate in the uk after 5 years .

I don't think the quality was that good anyway.

Message to self, don't skimp on solar panels.

 

[kev99]

YES! I've had two "vampire" flexible panels in quick succession! (In that they both worked in low light, but when the direct sun hit them they'd stop producing volts due to internal failures with no visible external issues.) Never achieved the full rated power even when new (but I expected that and wasn't disappointed). Then immediate failure - one day it produced power, the next it didn't.

This despite leading a molly-coddled life, being treated like eggshells and never stepped on or bent.

First one lasted three summers and it's identical replacement lasted two summers. Both were reputable panels from a reputable supplier. As you can see from another thread, I'm currently trying to decide how to re-engineer my system.

I won't name the supplier or make of panel since the supplier has been very helpful in offering me replacement panels at a much reduced price. In fact , the supplier I would actually go as far as recommending.....maybe not the panel though!

 

[iantomlinson]

I had a semi flexible panel delaminate after about 14 months. Contacted the seller- photonic universe - totally not interested. Buy elsewhere.

 

[thinwater]

One flex pannel failed a the 15 year mark. But I was watching the delamination progress for 6 months.

Let me expand. I have never had a glass panel fail, though I have never had one (sold the boats) in less than 20 years. The amps did not drop more than ~ 10-20%, as expected. When I have room for rigid panels they are all I will buy.

The flex panel was mounted to a rigid companionway turtle and did not flex, nor was it walked on. It delaminated from the edges at about 15 years. It was cheap, about $100, so I was saticfied. Renology I think. I suppose I could have done something about the edge sealing, but they were old when it started, my shabby efforts with tape didn't work, and it was a 1-hour job to replace it, so no big deal. 6 screws, reseal a pass-though, and 2 wires. I switched to lithium batteries at the same time, so a few other unrelated changes made it a 3-hour project day. It helps to install things with an eye to future replacement.

I do wonder if I should have gone with a rigid panel and promise myself to be careful where I step, but it is under the boom and mistakes happen. On the hard top of a cat or an arch, all rigid IMO.

The thing to remember about semi-flex panels is that they us the same cells, for the most part, as rigid panels, but without the support of glass. If they flex, even a little, they can develop micro-cracks in the cell, leading to shorts, overheating, and sort life. Read the manual and it will tell you that they can be flexed ONCE during installation but should be rigidly supported thereafter.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Makers do recommend having airflow underneath solar panels.

I wonder if flexible panels suffer from this in performance and longevity.

 

[Mistroma]

Never had a problem with rigid panels. They all have a gap underneath to allow air to circulate.

I did try 100W semi-flexible panels and supplier confirmed they'd be fine on top of an awning. Failed in a couple of months. Supplier was very good with replacement as I'd asked about the awning before buying.

The replacement came with instructions saying it must be fitted with a convex curve on an awning. A concave bend would cause micro-fractures and fail rapidly. I followed these instructions and it lasted several months. I think it failed in Spain, certainly miles from UK.

I didn't replace it but instructions now say they shouldn't be subject to repeated flexing. The second one got very hot in one spot before it failed and melted a tiny hole in the Sunbrella.


I've had 2 50W semi-flexible panels for 3 years now and they are still fine. I only put them up when anchored and they don't really flex as they are quite small. They bounce up and down a bit but all at once rather than flexing like the large 100W panel.

 

[iantomlinson]

I dont understand how flexible panels can have airflow when they are designed to suit the curve of the surface they are on. also why buy a flex panel and mount it on a glass frame??. ours was stuck to the deck, never walked on, but delaminated after 14 months. after 18 months was only putting out a quarter of the original output. i only name the photonic universe company because i trusted them as they are boatshow distributors but i have emails to prove their negative response (i thought they might have the old ones back to test and do me a deal on about £700 of new ones but nothing) we bought solid framed ones from elsewhere for the top of the wheelhouse and they have been amazing for the past 6 years and still going strong.i now need about another £600 of panels so am being very careful.... on another note don't skimp on the controllers---victron bluetooth mppt all the way

 

[Rappey]

I had a good quality branded 160w glass just suddenly stop working at 5 years old. I personally think its just bad luck as they tend to be reliable and last well.