The first thing you should do after going solar is to know the lifespan of your solar panels and how many years they can provide energy to match your home’s needs. This will give you peace of mind about your investment. It’s pretty well-known that solar panels last 25-30 years. However, many factors, like maintenance, weather, and servicing of the panels, can change the lifespan.
Estimating Solar Panel Lifespan
Most homeowners buy solar panels to reduce their electricity bills and save money. So it’s wise to know how long they can use solar panels. You can get the long-term value of solar panels if you can determine their life expectancy.
The degradation method in solar panels is different. They’ll gradually lower their energy output, and by the end of their 25 or 30 years, there will come a time when they won’t be producing enough energy.
Then it’s in the hands of homeowners to decide if they can keep using older panels or if they want to invest in new ones. Twenty-five years is an average calculated by experts as most people still receive enough electricity production for fulfilling their home’s energy requirements.
Performance And Equipment Warranty
Most solar panel warranties are of 25 years and in line with the average lifespan of solar panels. Warranty terms give you additional information about the estimated life of a solar panel. There are two types of warranties:
Performance Warranty:
This is the guaranteed lower limit of energy production by your solar panels in a specific timeframe. An example that might make things easier to understand is a performance warranty of 80% of the solar panels’ maximum production for the first ten years and 70% in the next 15 years, summed up to 25 years. Highly efficient panels tend to have better performance warranties. This is because they can better sustain higher efficiency for longer.
Equipment Warranty:
This guarantees the warranty of the panel against manufacturing defects. Equipment warranties can guarantee that panels won’t fail for 5-10 years. These warranties vary based on the quality and manufacturer of the solar panels.
Factors Affecting Solar Panel Lifespan
Location:
The lifespan and effectiveness of your solar panel system depend upon your location. Places with extreme temperatures, like harsh summers and frigid winters, can accelerate solar panel degradation.
Ice and snow can burden solar panels and potentially separate their frames in extreme winters. This exposes the internal components and the solar cells to the environment, which can significantly reduce your solar panels' lifespan.
Huge temperature variations can cause seasonal expansion and contraction, which aid in the formation of microcracks inside the solar panels over time, thereby increasing their degradation rate.
Service and Maintenance History:
Take care of your panels regularly. This includes maintenance and checkups. You can guarantee a long life for your solar panels. Maintenance plays an important role in extending the lifespan of your solar panels as it retains efficiency. Also, with regular checks, you can spot issues early on and fix them before they damage your equipment.
If you can’t do regular checkups, try to invest in a constant monitoring service to increase the lifespan of your solar panels. Hiring a reputable solar company can help since they’ll provide regular inspections and fix your equipment if any problem is found.
Weather:
Different elements of weather will have different effects on your solar panel lifespan:
Snow:
If your solar panels are regularly outside in freezing temperatures, the snow falling on them can distort, crack, or warp them. This will decrease the electricity generation of your solar panels.
Rain:
You should install solar panels at a steep angle. If you fail to do this, the rain will collect on the panels and might even corrode them. With time, this corrosion can spread to the internal circuitry of the solar panels reducing the amount of electricity produced by the solar panels.
Heat:
High temperatures can cause the seals of your solar panels to become brittle. This allows easy access to water into the panels. Penetrating moisture reduces the panels’ ability to convert sunlight into electricity. There might also be discoloration on the panels, which can negatively affect solar panel efficiency over time.
Wind:
Normal wind doesn’t affect solar panel efficiency. However, winds with high speeds can cause vibrations in solar panels. Increased vibration for longer periods can loosen the components that hold the panels in place.
Age:
To do any calculations, keep the baseline 25-year timeframe in mind. If you continuously take care of your solar panels, then any system can last you more than 25 years. However, it would be best to be careful when the panels reach the 25-year mark.
This is when you should start looking for replacements. High-quality panels tend to last long. This is because of the slow loss of their energy production rate. Investing in high-quality solar panels buys you extra years after the 25-year mark.
Solar Panel Degradation Rate
It is the continuous, slow damage experienced by your solar panels during their lifetime. It depends on service history, age, and weather. No panel is safe from degradation. Every type of panel suffers from degradation. With aging, the degradation rate increases, and solar panels have reduced electricity generation.
High-quality panels tend to have higher efficiency. They also have a lower degradation rate. For low-quality panels, the opposite is true. Lower solar panel degradation rates for solar panels means that the panel can produce more electricity in its lifetime.
The degradation rate ranges from 0.3-1.0% of a panel’s efficiency annually. This also depends on the age of your panels. Through extensive research, we know solar panels follow an average degradation rate of 0.5% per year. We won’t go into calculations since the math is complicated.
Components That Wear Out
Your solar panels have an average lifetime of 25 years, not the other components. These components are:
Solar Batteries:
Solar batteries store the extra energy that your solar panels produce and which isn’t needed by your home so that it can be used later in cases of emergency. Solar batteries have an average lifespan of 10 years, so they will need to be replaced more than two times in your solar panel’s lifetime.
Racking:
Racking keeps all the things fixed firmly in place. It also supports structures and prevents them from falling. Elements of nature and extreme temperatures can weaken or damage these supportive structures. For example, windy weather may add extra pressure to the panel racking, damaging other components.
Wiring:
Wires exist to transfer electricity throughout the whole system. This includes your home, solar panels, and the inverter. If any wires are damaged, this will cause energy loss since not all the electricity will be transferred. The lifespan of your system could be decreased.
Solar Inverters:
Solar inverters convert DC electricity from your panels to the AC electricity your home utilizes. Sometimes. Your solar panels might only produce enough energy to meet your needs. Here, the solar inverter takes extra power from the grid so that your home keeps running on power continuously. If you’ve subscribed to net metering, these inverters feed extra power from your solar panels to the grid.
An inverter can last for 10-12 years, so you’ll need to replace an inverter once in the lifespan of your solar panels. Ensure that you check up on your inverters and keep them in good condition with regular service and maintenance checks so that they have an extended lifetime and less frequent replacement.
Improving Life Expectancy
The degradation rate and decreased efficiency of a solar panel are all things under your control to some extent. Most damage happens slowly, which is beneficial since you can spot it, change your habits, and teach good maintenance habits to spot and fix problems.
This will make sure to avoid any additional harm to your system. It all depends on when you catch the problem. The earlier you do it, the better. You will have a higher chance of preventing long-term problems. You can extend the lifespan of your solar panel system with these tips:
Cleaning Solar Panels:
Any debris covering your solar panels can decrease their ability to capture sunlight, ultimately reducing the panels' electricity generation. Debris can include dust, pollen, leaves, bird droppings, or anything that might cover some of your panel. Debris can also damage electrical components or the glass of your solar panel.
The best way to avoid debris on your solar panels is by cleaning them annually. Cleaning helps keep away debris and removes any dust obscuring the solar panel. This increases the overall efficiency of the panel.
Professional Solar Service:
For regular maintenance, checkups, and solar servicing, it’s best to rely on professional help rather than doing it yourself. Professionals know the optimal production of solar panels and can effectively monitor performance and fix any issues if they are found. They’ll repair or replace any parts that are damaged and get your solar panels working in a short time.
Replacing Solar Panels
You should only consider replacing your solar panels if they are old and can’t match your home's energy needs anymore. You can easily spot this with the amount of electricity your solar panels generate daily. Most inverters today also let you view electricity production, which you can compare with historical averages.
There is another way to check if your solar panels need replacing; checking your utility bills. If they are increasing every month and we’re not talking about small changes, but they should be large increases, then this tells you that you should consider a replacement.