How Long Do Solar Panels Really Last?

So, you decided to buy a top of the line solar panel system for your home or business, you got it installed, took a few photos for your social media, and then it hit you. How long before you have to do this all over again?

Seeing that solar panel systems don’t go for pennies on the dollar, no one can blame you for asking how long do solar panels last. The great news is that solar panels don’t stop producing electrical energy, but rather, their electrical output slowly degrades over time, meaning that you will get less energy as time goes by.  Keep reading to find out how this works and what it means for you as a solar panel owner. 

Solar panel degradation

Solar panels' life expectancy has been set at an industry standard of 25 to 30 years, but as I mentioned above, they’ll continue producing energy even after their life expectancy has been reached. To clarify this statement, we’ll need to look at something called solar panel degradation.

Like everything else, solar panels don’t last forever, and the term “degradation” refers to their energy output percentages falling year by year. This means that while solar panels won’t stop producing energy even after 30 or 40 years in some cases (the maximum recorded life of a solar panel is set at an astonishing 60-year period), the amount of energy it does produce will decline as the system ages.

So, should you be worried about solar panel degradation rates and your return on investment? Not at all. In 2012, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted a study that found solar panel energy output falls by only 0.8 percent each year. In fact, this was the highest degradation rate the study could determine, while the median rate was around 0.5 percent.

Solar panel guarantee

When you’re looking to buy a solar panel system, every manufacturer will give you a warranty that states that solar panels degrade at a rate of 1 percent each year. This only means that solar panel manufacturers give somewhat greater degradation rate estimates compared to the cited study by NREL, just to be safe.

It is important to note that no one can guarantee 100% energy production of any respective solar panels. Typically, energy production is guaranteed at 90% in the first decade and 80% for the remainder of the warranty (the remaining 20 years). Should your solar panels pass that threshold, you can expect a smaller efficiency rating – less than 80%. In other words, this means that your system can go on producing electricity even after the “expiry date” of the solar panels.

Is going solar a worthwhile investment? Of course, it is. Solar panels pay themselves out in less than half of their expected life usefulness. That being said, after about 10 years or so of using solar power, you are literally getting free energy, and if you want to replace or upgrade your system in the long run, you still have around two decades before having to make a similar investment. Another happy thought is that some solar panel users like you have reported ROI (return on investment) after just five years. Let that sink in.

Solar panel degradation causes

Why do solar panels degrade over time, and can you do anything to help prolong their life?

Well, many factors cause solar panel degradation, and almost all of them are directly caused by the weather.

First of all, there is something called thermal expansion, which happens when average kinetic particles increase when the matter is heated and decrease when the matter is cooled. This process, caused by warm and cold weather, affects even solar panel systems. Such expansion and contraction create something called micro-tears or cracks in the solar panels, which puts them under strain and results in degradation.

Strong winds can also contribute to solar panel degradation rates. Higher velocity winds put their strain on the material by flexing the panels. Extreme weather, winds, snow, and ice are other factors that slowly wear out your panels as well. Even the sun has its fair share of “ruining” your investment, albeit it is only for the first few hours after the installation, i.e., something called light-induced degradation.

Having this in mind, you won’t need to take extra steps and measures to protect your panels from the environment. The good news is that all these factors are taken into account in the industry set degradation rates – that pesky 1% we’ve talked about.

How to slow down solar panel degradation

While you don’t need to tame nature itself, there is something you can do in the planning stage that can assure “optimal degradation rates.” You will have to make sure that there are no plants such as bushes or trees that might bump into your solar panels under external forces, namely wind.

Also, it should go without saying that you need to clear debris and other damaging materials off the panels, and if you are unsure what to do, you can always contact your solar panel provider for help, seeing that, like us, most if not all, of them, offer maintenance for the first couple of years.

Probably the worst thing anyone who cares how long solar panels last can do is entrust the installation of their system to someone who is not an industry certified expert. Mishandling of the equipment in the very early stages during the installation process, logically, accounts for degradation rates that deviate from the industry’s standard and may even halve the systems industry set life expectancy.

Luckily, many manufacturers and companies that offer installation services are already certified,  and you can always ask to see documentation regarding their certification and expertise. If you would like to know more about the certification, you can visit The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners® (NABCEP®) website for more info.

Another testament to the durability of solar panels is the fact that legislators at home and abroad are trying to enact laws that pertain to the recycling of solar panels. To quote the director of special projects at ECS Refining, one of the largest electronics recyclers in the U.S. Mark Roberts: “The longevity of these panels, the way they’re put together and how they make them make it inherently difficult to, to use a term, de-manufacture.”

If you want the lowest possible degradation rate per year, just follow a basic rule of thumb. Like with anything else you buy, do regular maintenance via a certified expert, have them periodically checked by your installer or service provider, and let them soak up the sun.

Why is proper maintenance by your installer or service provider necessary? Well, while solar panels are extremely durable, they are constantly exposed to the elements. Such exposure can lead to loose racking, wire exposure, etc., so having your installer or service provider check your solar panels results in no warranty void on your part.

It’s also paramount that the certified expert checks the additional solar power equipment, meaning the solar inverters and/or roof racking system. To make things clearer, the solar inverter is the brain of your whole system, and it basically is a low-level computer that inverts the electrical energy from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC).

FAQs

What is the average lifespan of a solar panel?

The average solar panel lifespan or life expectancy is set at around 10 to 25-30 years. The lifespan differs from one manufacturer to another, with different manufacturers reporting a “top-shelf life” of 25 or 30 years.

How often do you have to replace solar panels?

Solar panels are pretty much a once in a lifetime investment. As they keep producing electricity even after their lifespan, and whether you don’t mind losing some of the efficiency, you may opt-out of ever having to replace one – of course, this is only valid if you take proper care of them.

Do solar panels go bad?

No, solar panels don’t go bad but instead suffer degradation rates as they age, meaning they give you a lower energy output as years go by.

What happens to solar panels after 25 years?

If taken care of properly, as in most cases, they will continue to produce electrical energy even after 25 years, sometimes even after 60 years of installation, but their efficiency will decrease with age.

Conclusion

Once again, I come back to the question of how long do solar panels last? The simple answer is 10 to 25 or 30 years at most, and if you want to know the answer of how long they really last, then you’ll have to get your system today and see for yourself. In any case, it will be a lot longer than the industry set maximum lifespan.

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