The lifespan of a photovoltaic system depends primarily on the quality of the components as well as professional installation and regular maintenance. The manufacturer’s warranty is a good indication of the lifespan of the modules. In this guide, you’ll learn how long a solar system will last.
What is the service life of a photovoltaic system?
The average lifespan of a photovoltaic system is 25 to 30 years. Modern solar panels have a service life of up to 40 years. The power inverter needs to be replaced after 15 to 20 years.
The quality of the individual PV panels is crucial to the life of the solar system. In addition, professional installation is also important.
Because PV systems have only been installed on large numbers of rooftops in the United States since EEG was introduced in 2000, exact lifetimes cannot yet be determined.
What is the lifespan of solar panels?
Modern solar panels have a service life of at least 25 years. However, your performance decreases by an average of 0.3% to 0.5% per year. After 25 years, the average performance of a PV panel is 87.6%.
The solar manufacturer’s warranty is a good indicator of the lifespan of your solar panels.
What warranty does the manufacturer offer?
When you buy a photovoltaic system, you are entitled to a statutory two-year warranty. During this period, the installation company must correct any possible defects. After this period, manufacturers voluntarily offer two types of warranty for solar panels :
Product quality assurance
Performance guarantee
Both are important characteristics that affect the quality and lifetime of a PV system.
Product Quality Assurance
Through a product warranty, the manufacturer guarantees that the solar panel will not be defective for a certain period of time. This includes material and structural defects. The average product warranty period is 18 years.
Performance Guarantee
With a performance guarantee, the manufacturer guarantees that the PV panels will continue to operate after a certain period of time. The average performance guarantee period is 28 years. The average performance after 25 years is 87.6% of the initial performance.
Why do solar panels lose performance over time?
The causes of time-related performance loss in solar panels have yet to be definitively elucidated. Factors such as temperature fluctuations, humidity and heat, as well as UV radiation, are thought to accelerate degradation.
What is the lifespan of an inverter?
The average life of an inverter is 15 years. High-quality inverters can even last 20 to 25 years. During the life of a PV system, the power inverter needs to be replaced once or twice.
The manufacturer’s warranty also characterizes the quality of the inverter and is a good indicator of the actual lifespan of the device.
To extend the life of the inverter, it is important not to electrically overload the inverter due to poor wiring. In addition, the inverter should be installed in a cool and well-ventilated location, as overheating can negatively affect the function of the inverter.
How long can photovoltaic energy storage last?
The average lifespan of a storage device is 10 to 20 years. The lifespan of a PV storage system is determined by the number of charging cycles. In a single-family home, 200 to 250 charging cycles are used per year. Most PV storage systems achieve 4,000 to 5,000 charging cycles during their service life.
What will be the efficiency of photovoltaic power generation in 10 years?
After 10 years, the efficiency of PV panels averaged 95.8% of their original performance. This equates to a degradation of 0.42% per year.
According to statistics from ISE Fraunhofer, the degradation rate of photovoltaic power generation is only 0.15% per year, which means that after 10 years, photovoltaic modules can still play 98.5% of their original performance.
What will be the efficiency of photovoltaic power generation in 20 years?
After 20 years, the average efficiency of a solar panel will be 91.6% of its original output.
How to extend the life of the solar system?
The life of your solar system can be extended by maintaining the system regularly. Twice a year, remove dust, soot, and leaves, and inspect for obvious damage. A solar technician should inspect the entire system once a year. Also use high-quality modules with long product warranties.
Also avoid shading the solar system. These can reduce its performance and can cause so-called hot spots, which can lead to premature aging of the solar modules.
How and where is photovoltaic electricity disposed of?
PV modules are disposed of at public recycling centers. The disposal of solar modules and other components is carried out by the system operator himself or the installation company (as long as they receive a removal order). Upon payment of an additional fee, it is also possible to entrust a disposal company to collect the PV modules.
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