As part of Solar Power World’s efforts to respond to its readers’ informational needs, the magazine reported a five-part series in its October issue on solar component reliability. Read Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV.
What does an unreliable racking system look like?
Well, wire management consisting of plastic cable ties shows little foresight. A lack of airflow under roof mounts ignores heat buildup. Paper-thin metals crumble under the elements. These are the dead giveaways.
Most of the time, however, developers can’t predict system reliability just by taking a look.
The truth, industry leaders say, is obscured in paperwork and data that validates the structural, aerodynamic and mechanical integrity of a system. And even that can be obscured by self-made standards, which have not been formally established for racking. UL 2703, which would regulate solar racking, remains in draft form.
In addition, misused wind tunnel data — again, no standard of which to speak — could lead to improper design, which jeopardizes construction safety and the ability to achieve investment targets, says Costa Nicolaou, CEO of PanelClaw.
One thing that has been established, he says, is enormous pressure on the market to bring down costs. Some racking suppliers are bearing this weight while maintaining integrity, and others have caved.
“The trend in photovoltaics over the past two years is ‘dirt cheap,’” says Jeff Spies, VP of Business Development at Quick Mount PV. “Sadly, we have passed the point of diminishing returns. Many installers and companies have decided to save pennies, while system owners will have to pay dollars for repairs down the road.”
Which is fine because the system will be under warranty, right? Not necessarily. For starters, many warranties only stretch 10 years for racking and mounting, with some as low as five years — and warranties only apply if the company is still in business.
“Warranties are only as good as the company behind the product, and the overwhelming majority of solar companies have been in business only a few years,” says Spies, offering the fate of Suntech as an example. The company became the first solar company from mainland China to default after failing to repay $541 million earlier this year. They were the biggest panel manufacturer in the world for residential systems.
“I always say it’s better to have a quality product installed by a quality contractor than having a good warranty,” Spies says.
The reliability of racking systems was on vivid display last year after Hurricane Sandy, which threatened solar installations along the East Coast. An estimated 325 MW of solar capacity was in the path of the storm.
New Mexico-based DPW Solar received positive reports from installers in the region that its CRS ballasted roof system withstood the storm’s damaging winds, even in areas where trees were uprooted.
“Similar to any industry, a range of suppliers and levels of quality exist,” says John Markiewicz, global market manager for DPW Solar. “Companies attracted to the solar market to generate a quick profit from the industry boom do not necessarily have the same criteria for product reliability and quality as those companies invested in the industry for the long term.”
Markiewicz says warning signs that a product is less reliable may include prices well below competition, lack of engineering support, lack of test documentation and questionable composition of the product itself.
“Less reliable products are sometimes easy to identify by the use of thinner materials, smaller sizes and lower-grade hardware,” he says.
One of the major concerns for the industry today is just how many unreliable systems may already be in the field. Problems with solar installations – especially those in the racking market – do not manifest themselves in the first few years, says Spies from Quick Mount PV, which manufacturers systems for residential rooftops.
“Roof leaks aren’t noticeable until the five to 15 years range,” he says. “Many system owners will have a rude awakening when they learn the cost to remove and reinstall their array to fix a leak.”
Read more about reliable solar racking in The Emperor’s New Rack: The Truth About Many Light, Fast And Cheap Systems
HandyBob says
Price has very little to do with quality. I live off grid and have done only off grid installations. On my first sizable system (my own home) I bought what was recommended by a supplier only to have bolts pull out of the rails and collapse the first time it was tilted. Up in the north tilting can be very important. It appears to me that the tilting option was an afterthought. I got no help from the supplier or the factory and ended up reinforcing the rack on my own, telling them to remove me from their customer list. So much for a 100mph plus wind rating or any warranty. The next system I did came from a different supplier & manufacturer, for much less money and it was far better engineered. No, I am not going to name them and risk being sued. Buyer beware. Don’t talk about 30 year warranties when manufacturers are dropping like flies. My favorite module manufacturer recently went bankrupt. So much for the warranty; it is only a worthless piece of paper. I will say that buying the cheapest modules is not the way to get quality. However, a lot of good it did me in trying to support the manufacturer of what I believed to be the best quality module out there. I have systems with no warranty whatever.
Billy Gibson says
Much of this is just as Jeff put it in the article. Some installers have either decided to use inferior materials or are just ignorant of what goes into a quality system. Everyone in this industry should know that choosing a system should involve more than searching for the lowest cost materials. Ultimately those who do not make wise choices will not be in business in the long run. I would like to point out, that in reality the warranty of most installations is only going to cover 1-2 years for a leak or similar. Roofs develop leaks all the time, roofs will solar will leak that doesn’t mean that it is attributable to the solar racking. For the record we’ve installed a lot of the PV quick mounts and never had a problem, but to date the oldest installation is still only about 4 years old. thanks
Billy Gibson, CEM
NABCEP certified PV installer # 032611-122
Elie Rothschild says
You get what you pay for. Why install a 30 year module on a racking system with a 5 or 10 year warranty? If the racking company cannot provide a atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel test then how do you know the racking will perform? Do the homework and make sure the company has legitimate engineering. Up front price shouldn’t be the only criteria when making a decision.