One-in-five solar panels degrading faster than expected
Most solar panels gradually lose their power to produce energy over time, but roughly one in five have been found to fail much faster than expected.
Hairline cracks and other minor manufacturing defects overlooked during quality control testing are thought to be partly responsible for trend-defying declines in some solar panels.
University of NSW researchers are hopeful that a study of tens of thousands of systems operating around the world could help manufacturers produce better products and therefore keep solar farms in sound financial shape.
Most solar systems are designed to last about 25 years and are covered by a warranty that guarantees minimum performance during that period; All panels are expected to lose some production power over time.
An average decline in system performance of 0.9 percent per year can be observed across the entire data set of the UNSW study.
In some panels, energy-generating degradation occurred much faster.
One in five fell 1.5 times faster than the standard rate, and one in 12 fell twice as fast.
“This means that the lifespan of some systems may only be closer to 11 years,” said Yang Tang, a PhD student from the UNSW School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering and one of the authors of the paper.
Warm weather is linked to a more rapid decline in panel performance, but the rapid degradation pattern can be observed in all climates and regions.
Researchers have attributed rapid solar energy decline or sudden failures to several scenarios, including the presence of small defects in the cell, such as small cracks, that cause no problems at first but eventually lead to a dramatic loss in performance.
Other problematic panels had larger defects that were overlooked during quality control or testing procedures, while others experienced a series of problems that ultimately led to sharp declines.
Shukla Poddar, a co-author of the study, said current stress testing practices fail to capture the full range of real-world conditions that solar systems are exposed to.
“We need to start thinking about different testing standards that will help ensure we have more durable types of modules,” Dr Poddar said.
He said the rapid real-world decline of some photovoltaic systems creates hidden costs for solar farm operators, and addressing production and testing issues will be important to their financial health.
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