Reviews:
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to ke4pym
Re: I've gone and done it ... solar install said by ke4pym:The panels are guaranteed to produce 100% of their rated output for 25 years. Such panels haven't been invented yet. They all lose capacity in time, with the biggest drop in the first year. Maybe they are rated for less than what they can produce 
In any case I'd be interested to see the payoff and actual output vs specified output. 7000kWh/year means $900 savings... |
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ke4pymPremium
join:2004-07-24
Charlotte, NC Reviews:
 ·VOIPo
 ·Verizon Broadban..
 ·RoadRunner Cable
·Northland Cable ..
| said by cowboyro:said by ke4pym:The panels are guaranteed to produce 100% of their rated output for 25 years. Such panels haven't been invented yet. They all lose capacity in time, with the biggest drop in the first year. Maybe they are rated for less than what they can produce I can't speak to this one way or the other. So, if the rated output drops, I get replacement panels. So, either way, win for me.
dennis-->I've been told 2 different things.
I asked my installer about what happens when the power goes out. He explained that the system has an anti-islanding feature. So, if the power goes out, they stop sending energy into the grid. Makes sense. Don't want to electrocute a lineman expecting the lines to be dead and I'm putting energy on them.
However, one of the customers I spoke with (I conduced 4 calls with 4 different customers) said that his meter (net-metering) will stop the energy from back-flowing to the grid if the power is out. And his home will still benefit from energy from the panels. And he's tested it thanks to his power going out several times since his install.
If I wanted to put in a battery system (which is an option, but I don't have a suitable place to store the batteries or want to put up with the expense) I could run from that at night if the power was out.... |
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Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| said by ke4pym:If I wanted to put in a battery system (which is an option, but I don't have a suitable place to store the batteries or want to put up with the expense) I could run from that at night if the power was out....
Don't bother, it's not worth it. Batteries have a life of 3 years, 5 if you're extremely lucky.
Powering only 1000W for 4hrs will require some 4500Wh from batteries.
A single typical 12V/60Ah deep cycle battery gives 720Wh at low drain. You'd need a bank of ~10 such batteries to sustain the load for 4hrs. Given the cost of $125-ish for a single battery you'll be better off running a small generator in the event of an outage. |
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 StyvasGolf Canucks GolfPremium
join:2004-09-15
Hamilton, ON | reply to cowboyro
said by cowboyro:said by ke4pym:The panels are guaranteed to produce 100% of their rated output for 25 years. Such panels haven't been invented yet. They all lose capacity in time, with the biggest drop in the first year. Maybe they are rated for less than what they can produce In any case I'd be interested to see the payoff and actual output vs specified output. 7000kWh/year means $900 savings... I'm selling panels right now for a company that stockpiled a bunch and the projects fell through (now they've got to liquidate them ASAP) and that's the same guarantee that we're giving potential purchasers (25 year power performance warranty). I'm certainly not aware that the panels are rated at a Wattage lower than they technically will produce.
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"Moving your Tylenol to the low shelf in your medicine cabinet is not the way to prevent children from falling off a stool when reaching for the top shelf." (said by Savant, May 2008) |
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Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| said by Styvas:that's the same guarantee that we're giving potential purchasers (25 year power performance warranty). I'm certainly not aware that the panels are rated at a Wattage lower than they technically will produce.
Performance warranty or 100% of the initial performance warranty? And who will take the claims in 15 years if the company is out of business? |
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StyvasGolf Canucks GolfPremium
join:2004-09-15
Hamilton, ON | said by cowboyro:said by Styvas:that's the same guarantee that we're giving potential purchasers (25 year power performance warranty). I'm certainly not aware that the panels are rated at a Wattage lower than they technically will produce.
Performance warranty or 100% of the initial performance warranty? And who will take the claims in 15 years if the company is out of business? Rather than make assumptions, I'd check with my client's engineers before I'd make any promise to a purchaser. But, my assumption is that if the panel is rated 200W, that's what the manufacturer is guaranteeing for 25 years (we're not providing the warranty -- it's direct from the manufacturer).
As far as who would back up that guarantee 15 or 20 years from now, that's obviously a risk anyone takes when buying something with a working life that long. As a salesperson, I can only communicate the promises made by my client and the manufacturer. Since we're liquidating the surplus panels at bargain prices to minimize losses (it costs too much to warehouse them indefinitely and/or ship them back to the manufacturer), that's the trade-off, I suppose, between price and iron-clad guarantees.
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"Moving your Tylenol to the low shelf in your medicine cabinet is not the way to prevent children from falling off a stool when reaching for the top shelf." (said by Savant, May 2008) |
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 dogmaXYZPremium
join:2002-08-15
Boulder City, NV
kudos:1 | reply to cowboyro
said by cowboyro:Performance warranty or 100% of the initial performance warranty? And who will take the claims in 15 years if the company is out of business?
Excellent questions and concerns.
A name brand solar panel will have a 20- to 25-year warranty. This figure, however, applies to power output.
Most manufacturers guarantee at least 80% output (for the specified number of years).
The warranty for "materials and workmanship" is one or two years.
With respect to warranty support 15 years down the road, that is an inherent risk that comes with any long(er) term investment. So if one wants to minimize this risk, probably best to purchase from manufactures that have been in business a good amount of time.
Solar Manufactures/time in business
SolarPower/40+ years in Solar business
First Solar/13 years in Solar business
Sharp/53 years in Solar business
Panasonic-Sanyo/30 years in Solar business
General Electric (GE)/just getting into the Solar business, but they would likely honor warranties on their products for the long run.
...and the list goes on.
FWIW, this is not an industry in it's infancy...contrary to popular belief. |
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iknowPremium
join:2012-03-25 | reply to cowboyro
said by cowboyro:said by ke4pym:If I wanted to put in a battery system (which is an option, but I don't have a suitable place to store the batteries or want to put up with the expense) I could run from that at night if the power was out....
Don't bother, it's not worth it. Batteries have a life of 3 years, 5 if you're extremely lucky. Powering only 1000W for 4hrs will require some 4500Wh from batteries. A single typical 12V/60Ah deep cycle battery gives 720Wh at low drain. You'd need a bank of ~10 such batteries to sustain the load for 4hrs. Given the cost of $125-ish for a single battery you'll be better off running a small generator in the event of an outage. which is why they make solar batteries, guaranteed for 20 years, and it's much cheaper to run off stored energy from solar cells, than run a generator. |
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