Whether you already have solar panels installed or are in the process of getting them, there is no doubt that you have spent a significant amount of money in exchange for clean energy and big savings on your power bills.
Did you know there are ways to maximize these benefits? It all has to do with ensuring your solar panel system is operating as efficiently as it can – and we can show you how.
The term “solar panel efficiency” can refer to two different things – the efficient installation and operation of installed solar panels in order to achieve maximum electricity output, or the rated efficiency of a solar cell. This article focuses on the former – making sure your home solar panels perform as optimally as possible.
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Solarman says
“Solar cells are bound to lose some efficiency as they age. This National Renewable Energy Laboratory paper quotes studies that show how there is a gradual decline in the efficiency of solar panels over time.
Today, most solar providers guarantee that the panels will maintain at least 80% efficiency for 25 years. However, the more premium brands promise a slower drop-off in efficiency; SunPower, for example, promises 90% of output after 20 years.”
A couple of points to make here. The price of solar PV has dropped precipitously over the last few years. When panels were costing $5.50 per watt in 2005, they are falling in price and the newer bi-facial solar PV panels that have better side and reflected generation capabilities are running around $0.65 a watt today. Over design, put in more panels than needed to cover the degradation over the lifetime of the solar PV system’s life. Put in a little extra for the solar harvest loss of dusting of the panels.
The one ‘thing’ that (isn’t) written about, the long term use of solar PV finds that when one replaces old worn out appliances with energy star devices, this often ‘offsets’ panel degradation. So, as panels age they degrade in their generation capabilities. When you install energy star appliances you don’t need as much energy to run the household each day. With BTM behind the meter energy storage becoming part of the solar PV system in the market place, more energy for your ‘self consumption’, less of your generated energy going to the utility. With price drops and efficiency improvements. Solar PV can be (over designed) and last 40 to 50 years. That’s the legacy we need now, to leave to future generations.