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SolarCity pushing industry to 40% increase in useful lifetime of solar power installations
http://electrek.co/2016/07/04/solarcity-increase-useful-lifetime-of-solar-power-installations/[font face=Serif][font size=5]SolarCity pushing industry to 40% increase in useful lifetime of solar power installations[/font]
[font size=3]In a new report released by SolarCity, we are seeing that solar power systems have a usable lifetime of at least 35 years – 40% longer than the market expects. The key finding of the report is that power degradation (annual efficiency loss) of solar panels supplied to SolarCity is as much as 35% lower than for a comparable industry-wide selection of non-SolarCity panels, which are typically expected to last for 25 years. SolarCity feels it is the implementation of a stringent and industry-leading “Total Quality Program” that has driven this.
SolarCity is in the unique position of being one of the largest deployers of solar panels – from multiple manufacturers – in the world, and with their tens of thousands of systems connected to a central database they know realtime performance. In the study here, SolarCity looked at greater than 11,000 panels to determine their data points and come to their conclusion that their solar panels are performing well beyond expected industry standards.
The key metric focused on is ‘degradation.’ Solar panels will lose a certain amount electricity production capability every year due to various effects – water vapor inside the panels, sunlight slowly breaking down materials and the daily increase/decrease of temperatures. In order to make sure solar panels earn the money back for those who install them, solar panel manufacturers have been pushing their hardware quality. Today, standard efficiency solar panels put out by Tier 1 suppliers are generally warranted to lose no more than 0.7% efficiency per year for the first 25 years – this is the Power Production Warranty. SolarWorld proclaims to have offered the first 25 year power production warranty in 1997 – it has since become the industry standard.
The key finding in this study is that the annual 0.7% efficiency loss is too high an estimation – and that the number ought be closer to 0.5%. While it might seem a small number – a difference of 0.2% – when applied over a multiple decades timeframe, it means that instead of the standard twenty five year assumed productive life, we can expect at least another ten years of production above 80% of the original system output.
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[font size=3]In a new report released by SolarCity, we are seeing that solar power systems have a usable lifetime of at least 35 years – 40% longer than the market expects. The key finding of the report is that power degradation (annual efficiency loss) of solar panels supplied to SolarCity is as much as 35% lower than for a comparable industry-wide selection of non-SolarCity panels, which are typically expected to last for 25 years. SolarCity feels it is the implementation of a stringent and industry-leading “Total Quality Program” that has driven this.
SolarCity is in the unique position of being one of the largest deployers of solar panels – from multiple manufacturers – in the world, and with their tens of thousands of systems connected to a central database they know realtime performance. In the study here, SolarCity looked at greater than 11,000 panels to determine their data points and come to their conclusion that their solar panels are performing well beyond expected industry standards.
The key metric focused on is ‘degradation.’ Solar panels will lose a certain amount electricity production capability every year due to various effects – water vapor inside the panels, sunlight slowly breaking down materials and the daily increase/decrease of temperatures. In order to make sure solar panels earn the money back for those who install them, solar panel manufacturers have been pushing their hardware quality. Today, standard efficiency solar panels put out by Tier 1 suppliers are generally warranted to lose no more than 0.7% efficiency per year for the first 25 years – this is the Power Production Warranty. SolarWorld proclaims to have offered the first 25 year power production warranty in 1997 – it has since become the industry standard.
The key finding in this study is that the annual 0.7% efficiency loss is too high an estimation – and that the number ought be closer to 0.5%. While it might seem a small number – a difference of 0.2% – when applied over a multiple decades timeframe, it means that instead of the standard twenty five year assumed productive life, we can expect at least another ten years of production above 80% of the original system output.
…[/font][/font]