Have you ever thought what is the lifespan of a solar panel? Well, until now, it was believed that solar panels had a useful life of between 25 and 30 years, and that from then on they lost efficiency and started to be less profitable, but now from Switzerland they come to change that perception. They have just concluded a study that dismantles that idea because there are installations with more than three decades (already old age, yes) that are still working with more than 80% of their original capacity. That is, they withstand the estimated time and do it better than expected.
The data does not lie
These researchers analyzed six systems installed between 1987 and 1993, both in homes and in commercial buildings. The result was that the panels maintained more than 80% of their initial power, of course, those that were in lower areas, with higher surface temperatures, were in worse condition, that is normal, but the performance was still notable.
A warning for the industry
Ebrar Özkalay, researcher at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, wanted to send a message to the photovoltaic industry, and that is that the panels can last much longer than had been estimated, as long as they are manufactured with robust and quality materials, if we manufacture with poor materials, obviously, the result will be different.
“We can learn from these old panels to make the future ones last, hopefully, the same.”
What made the difference?
Experts from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory agree with Özkalay, the most important thing is the materials with which they are manufactured, not all panels are the same (even those from within the same company) but the choice of components is what will decide if a module will last a long time or if it will stop being functional at 20.
The role of the environment
Of course another of the important factors is the climate where they are placed, in the study it was found that in extreme conditions (cold or intense heat) the panels still show remarkable resistance although less than in other locations. That reinforces the idea that a well-designed and properly installed installation is very profitable at the start.
Innovation
The world needs to accelerate the energy transition, and it was not much of a transition if we talk about panels having to be changed at 30 years, a way had to be found for them to be more durable, because what the creation of one of these plates and its installation entails is quite complicated. Now, by confirming that a panel can produce electricity for more than three decades without losing capacity, it may be what so many consumers were waiting for to bet on this type of energy.
And no, solar energy is no longer only on rooftops to heat water, now they can be placed on balconies, walls, public roads and even cars, we are in the middle of a transition and one step closer to our cities having clean air and not fuel residues in the environment.
More savings, a better use of resources and one of the best investments that any citizen can make (if they can afford it, of course, that will be the next step that companies will have to take). Stopping climate change is not easy but we can all do our part, don’t you think?