diy solar

diy solar

60 cell broken glass panel, any hope for solar architecture/design?

orangezero

New Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2020
Messages
76
There is a local supplier of some damaged 235w 60 cell panels. The "damage" seems to be mostly the broken front glass. MC4 connectors seem intact. I will be able to visually inspect each one, and I'm sure I'll at least check voltage, etc. If someone has a great checklist of things to look for please let me know.

Eight years old, broken glass, so no illusions I'll get anything close to full power. That said, I have one panel out of my ten now that got a cracked from a slight fall when moved, and its output is pretty much identical to the rest. I can only assume the panel will fail at some point, and this chance goes up any time they are exposed to moisture/environment. Not a salty environment, which may help delay the inevitable.

I saw one thread about people using clear corrugated panels an inch or two over the panels to allow air flow and protect from hail, etc. But no real responses as to output reductins. I have joked about solar panels some day being cheap enough to use purely as an aluminum framed glass panel rather than just providing energy.

So one plan is to tear down my old garage and replace it with a predesigned, solar carport. I'd get 40-60 of these solar panels. Hard to guess the output other than "lower than undamaged 8yr old cells." They suggest output around 90% of new, but that seems almost meaningless and an average of what 8yr old undamaged panels may provide.

So consider the positives. It provides 3ft x 5.5ft "roof shingles" that shade my car and perhaps part of the house. They would be in a place where few would ever have to look at them, so the visual aspects of broken panels is minimized. Most likely the corrugated plastic over the top would further reduce output, if I went that route, but perhaps add some longevity? In my mind, 10-15 years from now I could always replace them with newer panels which would be even more efficient, or it could just remain as a shade/roof without even collecting energy.

Many of you must be having alarm bells going off hearing about broken panels. Clearly this would be offgrid. I can add another 12kw of solar to my current electronics and only need more cabling (and carport hardware). I have no interest in maximizing watt/sq meter.

I haven't seen much online mentioning real world, long-term output of broken panels. Does any of this change your mind if they are $0.03 per watt? I think my idea would work just as architecture, and the solar I get is all gravy for as long as it lasts. If the answer people keep telling me is "they'll fail in two years most likely no matter what you do" then I may look elsewhere. Or, "they'll add a solar recycling fee of $100 per panel" Ouch. Don't want that either.

Thanks if you made it this far. First one to suggest net-metering, microinverters or spending 400x as much money gets a cookie :)
 
There is a local supplier of some damaged 235w 60 cell panels. The "damage" seems to be mostly the broken front glass. MC4 connectors seem intact. I will be able to visually inspect each one, and I'm sure I'll at least check voltage, etc. If someone has a great checklist of things to look for please let me know.

Eight years old, broken glass, so no illusions I'll get anything close to full power. That said, I have one panel out of my ten now that got a cracked from a slight fall when moved, and its output is pretty much identical to the rest. I can only assume the panel will fail at some point, and this chance goes up any time they are exposed to moisture/environment. Not a salty environment, which may help delay the inevitable.

I saw one thread about people using clear corrugated panels an inch or two over the panels to allow air flow and protect from hail, etc. But no real responses as to output reductins. I have joked about solar panels some day being cheap enough to use purely as an aluminum framed glass panel rather than just providing energy.

So one plan is to tear down my old garage and replace it with a predesigned, solar carport. I'd get 40-60 of these solar panels. Hard to guess the output other than "lower than undamaged 8yr old cells." They suggest output around 90% of new, but that seems almost meaningless and an average of what 8yr old undamaged panels may provide.

So consider the positives. It provides 3ft x 5.5ft "roof shingles" that shade my car and perhaps part of the house. They would be in a place where few would ever have to look at them, so the visual aspects of broken panels is minimized. Most likely the corrugated plastic over the top would further reduce output, if I went that route, but perhaps add some longevity? In my mind, 10-15 years from now I could always replace them with newer panels which would be even more efficient, or it could just remain as a shade/roof without even collecting energy.

Many of you must be having alarm bells going off hearing about broken panels. Clearly this would be offgrid. I can add another 12kw of solar to my current electronics and only need more cabling (and carport hardware). I have no interest in maximizing watt/sq meter.

I haven't seen much online mentioning real world, long-term output of broken panels. Does any of this change your mind if they are $0.03 per watt? I think my idea would work just as architecture, and the solar I get is all gravy for as long as it lasts. If the answer people keep telling me is "they'll fail in two years most likely no matter what you do" then I may look elsewhere. Or, "they'll add a solar recycling fee of $100 per panel" Ouch. Don't want that either.

Thanks if you made it this far. First one to suggest net-metering, microinverters or spending 400x as much money gets a cookie :)
My biggest concern about broken glass panels is fire. Since I live in an area where forest fires are virtually unheard of If I had ground space I wouldn’t hesitate to use them if the price was right but until the fire danger is documented I don’t really want them on my roof. Also bear in mind that sealing the glass to detour moisture intrusion is not free will add cost and maintenance to the setup. Getting energy from what would otherwise be landfill materials is a very attractive thing. You can’t get much greener than that.
 
Three seconds after I posted I did another search and some had mentioned the fire issue with broken glass. That will give me pause for sure.

I assume it would actually still be a fire issue with a broken panel in sunlight even if they aren't plugged in to anything. I not sure how it changes the situation if it was a separate structure away from the house and mostly a steel frame. Still would have nearby grass and trees to worry about, and anything under or inside... Thanks for pointing that out.
 
Three seconds after I posted I did another search and some had mentioned the fire issue with broken glass. That will give me pause for sure.

I assume it would actually still be a fire issue with a broken panel in sunlight even if they aren't plugged in to anything. I not sure how it changes the situation if it was a separate structure away from the house and mostly a steel frame. Still would have nearby grass and trees to worry about, and anything under or inside... Thanks for pointing that out.
I believe the fire danger is actually relatively remote. I suspect that being connected and under a load would increase the chance of fire if there is actually a problem inside the panel. where I live the chance of a ground fire is extremely remote even if a panel was to catch on fire. It’s the unknown that gets you on these panels.
 
As long as they don't catch fire on a windy day.. You could always install some sort of smoke detecting fire sprinklers near them to put them out. I'm assuming you have no restrictions from AHJ's and don't have homeowners insurance you are worried about not paying if something happens.
 
I consider myself pretty frugal. However I would not use shattered PV panels. The amount of work installing these alone, and the thought that work will all be wasted if/when they fail. Also no way would I feel comfortable with high voltage DC running across these.

Just my Thoughts.
 
Back
Top