Life expectancy of photovoltaic solar panels

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by Christophe » 12/01/16, 00:56

So toughened glass ... but it's been a long time since it is no longer used in cars which has replaced with laminated glass ...
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by Forhorse » 12/01/16, 07:03

Laminated glass is made up of tempered glass plates.
In agricultural and public works the windshields and other glazing are always made of tempered glass only (not laminated) (EDIT: whatever not, some glazing such as doors are sometimes laminated glass)

On a PV panel in fact it looks like it is laminated because the glass is glued by the encapsulating resin and therefore the pieces remain in place.
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by BaudouinLabrique » 16/02/18, 15:08

Forhorse wrote:Laminated glass is made up of tempered glass plates.
In agricultural and public works the windshields and other glazing are always made of tempered glass only (not laminated) (EDIT: whatever not, some glazing such as doors are sometimes laminated glass)

On a PV panel in fact it looks like it is laminated because the glass is glued by the encapsulating resin and therefore the pieces remain in place.

The automated cooling of the panels extends their lifespan and in addition boosts their production!
(3 ° more = 1% loss - cleaning of panels at least 2% per year)
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by moinsdewatt » 17/02/18, 12:14

Studies carried out at the Mont-Soleil solar power plant in the Bernese Jura show that the lifespan of photovoltaic panels is "at least twice as long as estimates at the time". A case that is not isolated.

Unveiled on Wednesday, the research results of the Bernese University of Applied Sciences cover more than 16 years of operation. They make it possible to "formulate important and interesting assertions on the long-term behavior of the exploitation", notes the Société Mont-Soleil.

A solar power plant has two main components: the modules on one side, the inverter on the other. Only 1% of the 10 modules of the Mont-Soleil power station had to be replaced since its creation in 000. "Because of broken glass following extreme snowfall most of the time", specifies the company . Therefore, the maintenance of the panels is essential. Their lifespan can then extend up to 1992 years. And the power of the installation only drops 40% to 0,2% per year.
Not an isolated case

RTS has contacted several managers of solar installations and all make the same observation as in Mont-Soleil. Canobbio, Ticino, is home to the very first network-connected facility in Europe. Built in 1982, it still offers an efficiency of over 70%.

In Lausanne, the installation located below the Pont Chauderon has seen its maximum power decrease by less than 10% in 26 years. During its construction in 1991, it was estimated that after 20 years the power would have dropped by 20%.

Solar panels installed below the Pont-Chauderon in Lausanne (VD).

In Jungfraujoch (BE), at an altitude of almost 3500m, a front installation is subject to extreme conditions: according to Swisssolair, the reductions in yield are barely detectable, around 0,05% per year.
Increase in guarantees

This longer than expected lifespan of solar panels has led manufacturers and installers to offer increasingly long warranties. Pascal Affolter, co-founder of Solstis, one of the biggest installers in French-speaking Switzerland, told RTS that it has gone from a 10-year guarantee in the 90s to 25 years currently.

Today, solar professionals estimate that correctly installed and regularly maintained solar panels will provide electricity for 30 or even 40 years. It is precisely the period of operation targeted by the Mont-Soleil power station.


https://www.rts.ch/info/sciences-tech/e ... prevu.html
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by BaudouinLabrique » 17/02/18, 14:08

moinsdewatt wrote:(...) the Mont-Soleil power station (...) Their lifespan can then extend to 40 years. And the power of the installation only drops 0,2% to 0,3% per year.
(...)
In Lausanne, the installation located below the Pont Chauderon has seen its maximum power decrease by less than 10% in 26 years. During its construction in 1991, it was estimated that after 20 years the power would have dropped by 20%.
(...)
At Jungfraujoch (BE), near an altitude of 3500m, a front installation is subject to extreme conditions: according to Swisssolair, the reductions in yield are barely detectable, in the order of 0,05% per year.

Thank you for this very reassuring study.

Here is, in addition to my professional experience, a crucial and important lesson to be learned:
the more the panels benefit from a cold temperature (as is the case in the mountains) the longer they last and therefore the more that they are cooled by an automated system (cf. my intervention on this topical).

As a reminder, production is also boosted: my production over the last few days shows that yesterday, for example (almost all day long, sunny), I produced 60kWH (9.810 Wc tracker or tracker.
In summer, when we benefit from more hours of sunshine, in very hot weather I rarely reach the same score, while the arrangement of the panels on a follower, already ensures better cooling!
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by chatelot16 » 17/02/18, 21:59

Forhorse wrote:Laminated glass is made up of tempered glass plates.

no ! when you break a laminated glass it just splits or it has taken the shock but does not break in small pieces like tempered glass

tempered glass has good resistance to thermal shock: boiling water can be poured onto a frozen socket

laminated glass has no particular resistance to thermal shock, too hot a water stroke and it cracks
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Re: Life expectancy of photovoltaic solar panels




by xboxman4 » 19/02/18, 20:34

Besides, this is why it is interesting to buy second-hand solar panels: in general they are not more than 10 years old and are easily 3x cheaper than new.

I advise you this site that I came across: they also have a store on eBay.

https://www.used-solar.de/angebot/

Panels of any brand;)
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Re: Life expectancy of photovoltaic solar panels




by moinsdewatt » 08/02/20, 22:25

In 2019 France recycled more than 5.000 t of used solar panels

Bernard Deboyser. 5 Feb 2020

PV Cycle France, the organization approved by the French public authorities for the collection and recycling of photovoltaic panels announces that it has collected in 2019 more than 5.000 tonnes of panels on the national territory, including 200 tonnes in Overseas. This represents around 280.000 photovoltaic panels at the end of their life. They will be recycled and valued at almost 95%.

European Directive 2002/96 / EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment requires manufacturers or importers to collect and recycle their products at the end of their life. Its revision in 2012 included photovoltaic panels in its scope. Since 2007, the sector has organized at European level to assume this obligation. To carry out the recovery and recycling of panels, he created the PVCycle association, the French branch of which now has the know-how, experience and equipment to collect used panels and supply the recycling sector. .

A recycling plant in Bouches-du-Rhône
In France, the panels are processed mainly in the Véolia group's factory located in Rousset in the Aix-en-Provence region. It specializes in the treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). After crushing the panels, all the materials are separated: glass, aluminum frame, but also the connection box and the connection cables. Once sorted by passing through a succession of screeners, densimetric tables and optical sorting, these materials are redirected to various industrial sectors: the glass is transformed into clean cullet and valued in the glass sector, the frame is sent to a refinery for aluminum and plastic are used as recovery fuel in cement factories. As for silicon, it joins the precious metals sector, while cables and connectors are sold in the form of copper shot. In total, the photovoltaic panels are more than 95% recycled.
Inaugurated in July 2018, the Rousset factory, the first of its kind in Europe, cost one million euros.

Growing floods expected in the coming years

According to PV Cycle, "the annual volume collected has multiplied by more than thirteen since the start of the sector in 2015". In 2030, the annual deposit of used photovoltaic panels should reach 50.000 tonnes, in France alone, estimates the organization. In Europe, this volume is estimated at 9,5 million tonnes by 2050.

This foreseeable increase in the volumes of used photovoltaic panels in the coming years will require significant investment and the opening of new local treatment units. Options are already being studied for the construction, in France, of a second recycling plant. "We have a challenge to meet in order to support this growth in the best technical and environmental conditions and at controlled costs", says Anaïs Gouabault, operational manager of PV Cycle France.

The next big challenge for the accredited body will be to support its members in their eco-design approaches. Indeed, the anti-waste law for a circular economy, definitively adopted by the Senate on January 30, provides from 2021 for eco-design obligations for all actors who put equipment on the market. It also concerns producers and importers of solar panels.


https://www.revolution-energetique.com/ ... en-france/
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Re: Life expectancy of photovoltaic solar panels




by Kylie7 » 04/06/20, 10:38

Hello,

Very well explained :) yes, I noticed and the manufacturer has confirmed to me that the lifespan of the photovoltaic panels is 20 years minimum. However, that does not mean that after 20 years they will stop working! They remain effective even beyond these 20 years. I have had solar panels installed at home for 5 years now, and nothing to say. I'm pretty satisfied until today : Cheesy:
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Re: Life expectancy of photovoltaic solar panels




by ENERC » 05/06/20, 19:51

I think there are a lot of panels still functional in the 5.000 t of recycled solar panels. Someone to confirm?

Who wants a used 100W panel when we find used or downgraded 250W at € 60?
And with the 300W, 350W and even now 500W (!) Panels, it is the 250W panels that are going to be scrapped for replacement.

it would be good to set up a network to distribute the discarded signs that still work for people with few resources.
It was up to Emaius and the others to take over the business and to the collection networks to play the game.
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