How Fast Do Solar Panels Degrade Lose Their Efficiency

In the years since this 2012 study was conducted more efficient technologies have been developed and many newer panels have just a 0 5 percent yearly decline in energy.
How fast do solar panels degrade lose their efficiency. Degradation rates are used in solar site assessments in order to estimate the energy production over the life of a system and to calculate the payback period and return on investment. Photovoltaic modules are tested at a temperature of 25 degrees c stc about 77 degrees f and depending on their installed location heat can reduce output efficiency by 10 25. Right now there is not enough data to know reliable degradation rates after 20 25 years so you must rely on manufacturer warranties in order to compare expected solar output losses over time. This is the 2011 warranty for companies such as ja solar first solar yingli solar canadian solar sanyo and sharp.
How fast do solar panels degrade. Solar panel degradation rates are constantly improving as solar panel technology gets better over the years and degradation rates below 1 are common throughout the industry. When solar panels loose efficiency how does that happen. That s backed up by the solar panel manufacturer s warranty which guarantees 90 production in the first ten years and 80 by year 25 or 30.
This is how much of the light energy falling on the panel gets converted into electrical energy. For many panels this is given as 2 to 3 in the first year and then 0 7 a year after that but it can be as low as 0 25 a year for some. For most tier 1 solar panels the degradation rate is 30 meaning that each year the panels performance is reduced by 30. It may seem counter intuitive but solar panel efficiency is affected negatively by temperature increases.
Solar site assessors use these rates. Over 25 years that adds up to a total of 6 96 meaning your panels will operate at 93 04 of their original capacity in 2045. Those panels could retain 96 of their production capabilities after 20 years. On average solar panels degrade at a rate of 1 each year.
However a study conducted by the national renewable energy laboratory nrel shows a more accurate. For example solarcity the largest residential solar installer in the u s guarantees that its panel efficiency won t degrade below an 80 efficiency rating over a 20 year power purchase.