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Jamie1897 t1_j2nzeyn wrote

Reply to comment by Splenda in PV Cells Still Generally Produce 80%+ of Initially-Rated Power Despite Expected Damage by Alias_The_J

This is a trend I don't quite understand. We have known for a long time that old solar panels continue to produce at most of their rated capacity for decades. But at the same time, I see a huge glut of used solar panels coming mostly from the closure of utility scale solar power plants built in the last 15 to 20 years. I mean, it's GREAT for people who want to install DIY home solar. But are utility scale inverters and other consumables so expensive that it is cheaper to scrap the entire plant after 15 to 20 years of operation?

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Splenda t1_j2o162v wrote

Inverters wear out much faster than panels do, and new panels are simply much more productive than old ones, so it usually makes sense to just start with new gear that won't give you any surprises.

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Jamie1897 t1_j2o25ph wrote

The output of new panels hasn't risen much above 14% to 19% efficiency. There are a bunch of exotic chemistries, but they are toxic, expensive, and only really used in applications like space probes and the space station. Many of the solar plant closures are happening well before the design lifetime of the plant. It's even worse when you consider the relatively poor EROI of solar panels. These things need to run as long as possible to amortize their embodied energy.

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Splenda t1_j2o92kt wrote

NREL now rates most new panels at 16 - 22% efficiency, and quickly improving. Meanwhile, the EROI payback is now less than two years (the old Weisbach graph that was kicking around for years, showing poor EROI, was based on pre-2010 German data with cloudy skies, northern latitude and far more materials and energy inputs than present panels use).

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