Hacker News Reader

Do solar panels eventually stop producing any power?

I have some second hand panels that are around 10 years old, I'm sure they are less efficient and I have had to replace diodes etc - but it seems to me that if you have lots of space (as we do in Aus) you could just keep adding new panels without getting rid of old ones

View on HN

Solar panels you buy today just go down in efficiency - if you are installing them on say a house, they will continue producing good power output for the lifetime of the house (bar physical damage). Typically they will come with a waranty that after 25 years, they produce at least 80% of their rated output.

(You will probably need to replace the inverter during that time, but the panels will be fine)

Would it be viable to create a business to take the old panels and basically just mount them out in the desert to provide nearly free power (assuming you just do morning loads)?

The progress of PV technology over 3 decades means it's probably cheaper to recycle them for raw material and build out new PV.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com